Moments of Rest
by Sarrlo
Summary: A relatively small rewrite of the Mass Effect 3 ending as well as a full length epilogue to tie everything up. MShep/Liara.
1. Chapter 1

**A Quick Introduction**

Hi. Like many people I felt that the end of Mass Effect 3 was unsatisfying from both an emotional and narrative perspective. In the month and a half since completing the game I have had time to really think about what I wanted out of the series and, more specifically, the ending. During this time I read a lot of pieces of fiction on this site and they really inspired me to put my own thoughts down on (figurative) paper. That being said I hope you will find some level of entertainment from this story that I have been (loosely) crafting in my mind.

However, before I begin, I would like to establish some things. The first is who my Shepard is. My Shepard is male, Paragon (unless it comes to dealing with Kai Leng or Quarian Admirals firing on me like a goddamn idiot), romanced Liara throughout all three games, saved anyone who could be saved, chose to save Kaiden on Virmire, cured the Genophage and brokered peace between the Quarians and Geth. I believe those are all the major plot points and if I forgot anything significant I will mention it in the preface of the chapter it relates to.

The second is what this story will entail content-wise. This will not be an action story. I want to make this perfectly clear from the get-go. There will be a few scenes involving a "mission-like" scenario, but this story will essentially consist of two parts: the ending I have concocted and the "What happens next?" The ending will be rather quick in terms of the overall content and the remaining chapters will mainly feature Shepard, Liara and Garrus (as well as many supporting characters for various intervals) visiting the places and people that made this series what it is. During this journey I will do my best to provide a satisfying conclusion to myself and, hopefully, you. I will also note that because this is intended to be an "epilogue" of sorts it will not follow the narrative path of a full story. It will basically provide the resolution to the larger story that was Mass Effect as whole.

Finally, I would like to indicate where this story begins and what I am eliminating from the original ending. This story begins just as Anderson dies while sitting next to Shepard on the Citadel. Nothing involving the mystical elevator or Star Child will be included in this story.

PS, I don't own any of Mass Effect, all credit for the universe and characters goes to Bioware.

* * *

**Chapter One**

His eyes were closed. It felt years since he had last just sat still like this. As he slouched against the body of his friend and mentor he couldn't help but take the smallest bit of joy from this moment of just... rest. That was all he wanted now. Rest. Was it too much to ask for? He didn't want to start getting selfish now of all times, but what else could he do? Saren, Sovereign, the Collectors, wars and conflicts centuries old... what else did he have to end before he could earn some peace? He managed to force his eyelids open and glance to his right to look at Anderson's face one more time. It wasn't fair to see him this bruised and burned. Not after everything he had done for the galaxy. Not after everything he had done for Shepard. Shepard wished he still had the energy to cry. Or at least to shed a tear.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Shepard's voice was so weak he could barely hear it himself speak. His body had already passed from the point of pain to that of numbness. He had lost a lot of blood. Was he dying? Surely he had to be getting close. His gaze shifted back to the breathtaking vista before him: the green hills of earth entwined with the white clouds and vast, blue oceans... as well as the black and red burning cities that peppered them. Every so often a projectile fired from one of the thousands of ships battling in Earth's orbit would silently fly by. The wreckage of an Alliance cruiser was slowly disintegrating on the edge of his field of view, the sturdy and seemingly unbreakable silver hull having been melted nearly in two by one of the Reaper combatants. The rear thrusters were still active, still glowing blue and standing ready to receive thrust commands from the bridge that would never come. It was more than likely one of the vessels that had been assigned to protect the Crucible at any cost. A price crew had paid in full. His eyes closed once again. He felt that sensation wash over him. Rest.

"_Shepard? Commander? The Crucible hasn't activated. Shepard.. can you hear me?"_

Shepard's hand rose up to his ear instinctively to respond to the Admiral. Hackett sounded desperate. That was a bad sign.

"I.." The bloodied, bruised Commander paused mid-sentence and drew a deep breath. The pain came back. "I'm here, Admiral. What do you need me to do?"

"_Shepard, did you make it to the control room?"_

Shepard's eyes fell to the body of the Illusive Man and the self-inflicted gunshot wound on the side of his head. That son of a bitch. He could have done so much. He could have stood next to the highest ranking officials in the galaxy during their finest hour. Shepard looked into his still glowing, inhuman eyes. He couldn't be angry. Indoctrination was a cruel mistress. Saren and Matriarch Benezia had learned that lesson the hard way. The tragic way.

"Yes, sir. I.. I think so." God. It hurt to speak.

"_There must be an activation sequence there somewhere, Commander. We need the Crucible active now!"_

The urgency in his voice was frightening. Shepard had known Admiral Hackett for years and he had never heard him lose his calm, cool and collected attitude. Shepard let his hand fall from his ear and looked around the platform he and the two bodies were situated on. The only thing he could see worth trying was the panel Anderson had stood at as he first entered the room. Shepard braced himself with his hands on the floor. He gritted his teeth and with all the energy left in his being pushed himself to his feet. The loss of blood left him light-headed and imbalanced, causing him to stumble forward for his first few steps. His legs felt like they were being pierced by a thousand needles, making each step that much more painful. He slowly made his way to the console and reached forward with his hands as he approached, grabbing the panel to support himself. Shepard fought to control his blurred vision and looked down to the various buttons before him. Only one button was green. It blinked softly every second or second and a half, gently fading in and out of illumination. The man stared at the button for a few seconds, just watching it pulsate softly. All the other buttons were inactive. If there was an activation control in this room... this was it. Was it going to be this easy? Were the Protheans, Inusannon and the thousands of cycles before them really this close to ending the Reapers? He activated his comm once again.

"Stand by, Admiral."

His hand lowered to the holographic panel before him. His bloodied, bruised finger hovered above that gently pulsing button.

"Here goes nothing."

* * *

"_Did anyone make it to the beam?"_

"_Negative... Our entire force was decimated... It's too much! We need to regroup! Fall back to the buildings!"_

"_Our attack force was wiped out! All forces: retreat!"_

Garrus could hear the voices though his headset as he lay on his back, staring into the smoke-filled night sky, waiting for his mind to catch up to reality. The turian grunted, his mandibles twitching in anger as he rolled himself to the side, the mud giving way to his armored torso. His eyes came into focus and he scanned his immediate surroundings to update himself on the status of the attack force. He counted at least five dead or wounded soldiers within twenty meters. He noted that Liara was about fifteen meters away on her side, unconscious or possibly dead. He would have checked her vital signs had his visor not been shattered.

"Damn it!"

He cursed himself for not thinking of the mission sooner. He turned to get a view of the beam they had so desperately been charging towards. He could see a figure nearly at the beam now. He could recognize the body size of the limping figure and judged that there was a high probability it was Shepard. A couple meters away from the first figure was another man (human) who appeared to be gathering his strength while leaning against an overturned vehicle. Garrus raised his hand to his ear, attempting to contact someone, anyone, on the comm system.

"Negative! Negative! This is Garrus Vakarian! There are surviving members of the attack force! We have people at the beam! Repeat: we have reached the beam!"

Garrus waited approximately five seconds before realizing his outbound communications were nonfunctional. The turian damned his headset furiously and pulled himself to his feet. As he rose from his knees and put his full weight on his leg he growled in pain and looked down; his left leg was definitely broken. He raised his gaze back to the beam, still blazing a good thirty or forty meters before him. The first figure was gone, presumably having been transported by the beam. The second was just limping into it now. The turian looked around himself again; he had to check on Liara, at least to confirm if she was dead or alive before heading to the beam himself. Before he could start moving the radiant glow of white dimmed before completely disappearing. The Reapers had realized what was happening and what their goal was. Garrus shook his head and set on, limping toward the asari. He passed a human as he did. She was dead. At least half of her torso was gone and her face was stuck in a fusion of terror and hopeless desperation. He tore his eyes from the body and fixed them on that of his friend as he grew closer. His leg felt like it was ready to snap in half. He collapsed onto the knee of his good leg as he reached Liara and placed his hand on her side, rolling the asari onto her back and immediately leaning down to listen for breathing. She was alive. Garrus sat up and began tapping on his omni-tool to prep two applications of medi-gel.

"Liara! Can you hear me?"

He swiped the orange, glowing hologram across his leg and sighed in relief as some of the pain rapidly began to dissipate, looking back to the asari as he worked. Liara let out a deep groan as her consciousness returned. Garrus examined Liara's body and immediately applied the second dose of medi-gel to a deep gash across her right arm.

"Wh-... What's... What happened?" Liara had opened her eyes and was squinting up at the turian.

"Harbinger happened. Can you feel you anything? Can you move?"

"What happened to the rest of the strike team? Did.. did anyone make it to the-"

"Yes, yes people made it to the beam. Liara, can you move?"

"Yes! I'm fine, Garrus." She sought to prove this to him by sitting up and looking around the field they sat in, littered with dozens of bodies, destroyed military vehicles and scattered debris from a nearby collapsed building. "Where is Shepard?"

"I think he made it to the Citadel. My outbound networking is down though... otherwise I'd check for his location."

The asari shook her head in an attempt to bring herself together. She raised her arm to activate her own omni-tool, noting the heavy bleeding just above it on her arm. With two taps of her lithe fingers she activated her squad status program. She turned to Garrus who was now trying to identify how badly his leg was broken.

"His omni-tool is still transmitting on the emergency frequency. With the given distance to target he must be.." She looked up.

"Good. Contact the Alliance and tell them someone reached the Citadel."

Liara got to her knees while tapping away at her omni-tool, sighing with satisfaction as the "Connection Established" message skimmed across the visual interface. The asari raised her omni-tool to her face as she stood.

"This is Liara T'Soni. I do not know who is receiving this message but we reached he beam. We have people on the Citadel. I repeat: we have people on the Citadel."

Garrus nodded up to her in an unspoken request for assistance as he began pulling himself to his feet. As she leaned down to pull his arm over her shoulder a voice crackled through her omni-tool.

"_Roger! We saw the beam deactivate and have units inbound to your position. How many made it through?"_

Liara looked to Garrus as they rose to a hunched standing position, the weight that would be resting on his broken leg now falling to her shoulders for support.

"Two, I think."

"Only two.. I'm afraid. However we believe Commander Shepard was one of them."

"_Affirmative, relaying the info to Admiral Hackett."_

"Can you raise Shepard on the omni-tool?"

Liara glanced down to the screen and shook her head. "No. Out of range. Admiral Hackett's transmission should be strong enough to reach him."

The two began to limp back toward the crest of the hill they had charged over just a few minutes prior and were greeting by a wave of Makos and infantrymen. A pair of medics approached the asari and turian but couldn't pull out their scanners before Garrus waved his hand dismissively and pointed to the field behind them.

"I'm fine. You have wounded out there."

Liara and Garrus turned and leaned against the side of one of the idling Makos. Garrus pulled his arm from Liara's shoulder and glanced over to her. They could see the worry and concern in each other's faces. Garrus cleared his throat of a little blood and looked up into the night sky.

"That son of a bitch as pulled more miracles out of his ass than I can count. Let's hope he's got one or two left."

* * *

"SHIT! Now THAT was close! Damn I am good!"

Joker's hands danced across the helm console as he laughed the words out. He had never been one to downplay his skills as a pilot. EDI noted that in less than a second and a half he had identified that the trajectory of a Reaper's main beam had at least a fifty percent chance of intersecting with the Normandy's starboard thrusters and engaged in evasive maneuvers that gave a good five hundred meters of clearance. She, of course, had identified this as well and was prepared to override controls temporarily had he waited another point zero seven seconds. EDI made a note of this impressive evasion.

"Alright I'm turning her around in five seconds. EDI, give me a firing solution!"

"_HUD updated. I have calculated five additional follow up shots on nearby targets that allow for a safe exit."_

The Normandy began a tight banking turn as EDI spoke. Joker listened intently, deftly dividing his attention between the helm display and his "co-pilot". His eyes flicked from point to point on the screen and swiftly eased the Normandy into the simulated trajectory projected by EDI. He immediately saw the target, a Reaper capital ship, and tapped an icon to arm the Thanix Cannon.

"Got it. First target in ten."

EDI estimated that the Normandy could afford six targets before the Thanix Cannon would need to recharge. She set a subroutine to recheck and update the firing trajectories for each stage of the pass every point zero five seconds. It was a little disconcerting how... clumsily the battle was unfolding. Each ship or flotilla was seemingly picking their own targets and firing. She lamented the fact that the Alliance commanders were not designating targets and focusing the attack to eliminate all Reaper capital ships before attending to the far less formidable destroyers. EDI reminded herself that conducting the movements and actions of thousands of ships would be difficult, even for her, and returned to scanning for collision prevention.

"Firing!"

The Normandy was accelerating towards it's target from the Reaper's starboard side. Joker had lined up a perfect shot at the two-kilometer long behemoth that penetrated directly into ocular firing mechanism of the Reaper's main weapon. A Reaper could normally take four or five direct hits from a standard sized Thanix Cannon the Normandy was equipped with but as the round impacted the weak spot Joker had aimed for a massive gash opened across the shell. Joker immediately readjusted the Normandy to aim the Thanix Cannon into the ever-growing divide in the Reaper's armor and fired again. He threw the ship into evasive maneuvers as soon as the round was clear of the hull, not even getting a chance to make sure his shot had hit.

"EDI! Give me a visual!"

EDI instantly updated the HUD with view from a nearby Alliance vessel showing the Thanix round impacting and nearly splitting the Reaper in two as the Normandy rounded out behind the colossal explosion of plasma and radiation.

"_Excellent shot, Jeff."_

"Damn right it was!"

Joker was grinning more than he had in years. So much so that he had completely missed the second firing trajectory lined up by EDI. Fortunately, she was aware of this and had already updated his HUD with a new set of four shots.

"_I have updated the display with fo-"_ EDI stopped her current vocalization as an urgent message from Admiral Hackett began transmitting from his command vessel. It was being addressed to all vessels and on every available channel. She began broadcasting the message.

"_-is Admiral Hackett. Commander Shepard is activating the Crucible. Stand by."_

The joy dispersed from Joker's face quickly as he heard the transmission. His fingers swiped the firing solutions from the HUD and replaced it with a route to the Citadel, dodging an exploding turian frigate as he did so.

_"Jeff?"_

"He's gonna need an exit strategy."

* * *

Shepard stared out at Earth with a smile. At this point he didn't care nearly as much about Earth itself as he did about the galactic civilization the force to retake it represented. Humans, turians, asari, salarians, quarians, krogan, geth, batarians, volus, elcor, probably some hanar, drell and vorcha in there somewhere... and at least one prothean. And somewhere, either down on Earth or in the skies above it, his friends. His loved ones. If this worked they would have a future. Shepard looked down and pressed his finger to the pulsing green button. A familiar, affirming tone sounded from the panel as somewhere above him the Crucible initiated and began to relay it's signal.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well that's chapter one. I haven't written a narrative story in years so please leave a review telling me what you thought!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

Relatively short chapter due to pacing. However, chapter 3 should be up faster than it took for this one!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"_Standby, Admiral. Here goes nothing."_

Admiral Hackett glanced toward his communications officer.

"Give me a transmission on all channels on-board and outbound."

"Aye, sir." The ensign had begun following through with the order even before she had replied. She swiped her hand across her control panel and tapped three times down the right side of the screen. The woman turned back to her commanding officer. "Ready, sir."

"All units, this is Admiral Hackett. Commander Shepard is activating the Crucible. Standby."

The gray haired man turned his head back toward the ensign and nodded once, signaling her to cut the outbound signal. With two quick taps of her fingers the transmission ceased and she resumed her ongoing primary task of monitoring priority signals and comms. The admiral had already focused his attention to his own control console and was accessing video feeds from Alliance vessels nearest the Crucible. One of the available feeds was from the SSV Normandy as it rapidly approached the Citadel. The admiral couldn't help but shake his head in amazement, his mouth falling ever-so-slightly ajar. If there was one trait Shepard had that couldn't be taught it was his ability to inspire undying devotion from his comrades. Hackett leaned back in his chair and looked up from his command screen to the large viewport of the cruiser he had made his command vessel. Because the ship had remained relatively far back from the main point of engagement he bore witness to a sight truly never before seen by human eyes: almost every capable and willing ship in the known galaxy united on one front. Some ships were close enough to read the serial numbers painted across their hulls in various locations. Others were barely a speck in the inky black of space, only noticeable because of the faint flash of their cannons. He realized he had been gazing for nearly ten seconds before recomposing himself and redirecting his attention to the video feeds he had opened. Then he waited. He waited the longest seconds of his life.

* * *

Commander Shepard smiled as that soft, familiar tone radiated from the control panel. He took a step back and blinked, finding it difficult to reopen his eyes. The man felt himself involuntarily sinking to his knees. Shepard blinked again, his eyes holding shut for longer still than before. It seemed fitting that he should die here, the Citadel. The place that symbolized the very center of galactic cooperation. It was what he had made his greatest weapon. He gently lowered himself to the side and laid his head onto his arm, the emergency sequence lighting of the space station glowing a warm orange all around him.

Shepard's breathing became more labored with each passing second. As he lay dying his mind began to wander to that of what he had been fighting for. Faces began materializing in his mind, new and old. He saw the faces of his parents. His crew. His friends. His loved ones. This was truly something worth dying for, he thought to himself.

* * *

"EDI do you have a fix on his location?"

Joker didn't normally have much difficulty when it came to flying, but avoiding enemy and friendly weapons as well as hundreds of ships and debris from destroyed vessels proved to be a challenge even for him.

"_I have set a way-point on your navigation console."_

"You're a lifesaver, EDI... Heh. Literally."

EDI would have rolled her eyes had her physical body been present on the bridge at the time. Joker's eyes bounced between data feeds on his helm console, plotting a course to Shepard's location in his head. The arms of the Citadel were nearly closed which, hopefully, would mean there would be minimal debris to avoid once inside.

"Alright, we'll be inside in about twenty seconds... Check again and make sure the anti-debris fields aren't active, would you?"

EDI checked and the Citadel remained, as it had been, fully accessible. As she did her communications subroutine pinged with interesting data. Before she could fully analyze the information Joker spoke.

"EDI is it just me... or did the Reapers..."

Joker was looking out the viewports to make sure his sensors weren't malfunctioning. They weren't. Around him the hundreds of Reaper ships visible had suddenly and unceremoniously begun to stop firing their main cannons. The lights that ran the length of their obsidian hulls began to dim and die. The Reapers, no longer moving to maintain evasive maneuvers, began taking massive bombardments from the galactic fleet.

"_It is not just you, Jeff. There is a signal I am picking up outside of traditional communication frequencies. It is stronger than any transmission I have on record."_

The Normandy arced gracefully through the mostly retracted arms of the Citadel and set course for a maintenance platform that was documented as a power relay station.

"Are they reactivating?"

"_Not yet."_

The Normandy began to slow as it approached the platform.

"Well how about we pick up Shepard so he can make sure they don't!"

EDI rechecked Shepard's vital signs.

"_Hurry, Jeff."_

* * *

"Come on, T'soni! I've got a broken leg and I've still got a higher kill count than you!"

Liara rolled her eyes in both parts aggravation and good humor as she charged a massive biotic wave in her palms, unleashing it on an advancing wave of husks. The mutated humans flailed about helplessly as their converted bodies were thrown through the air and ripped apart in a torrent of pure energy.

"I think that brings me close! Are you really going to let a lab-coat catch up that easily, Garrus?"

The turian laughed and rattled off three shots in quick succession with his M-97 Viper, each catching an advancing cannibal in the head. He popped his expended thermal clip and banged his fist on the side of the Mako they were perched atop to signal for a few more fresh clips from the soldiers below. The quick respite they had enjoyed after their run toward the light had unfortunately subsided as their reinforcements were met with a heavy counter-attack by Reaper ground forces. Liara stood next to Garrus as he sat with his good knee up, giving him a makeshift bi-pod to steady his shots. The asari continued to hurl blast after blast of biotic energy at the charging enemies, stopping occasionally to stave off complete mental exhaustion.

"They... just don't know when to stop, do they?"

"Ya know, Liara... I think that might be why the Reapers like using indoctrination so much."

Garrus smirked to himself as he caught a banshee just over a hundred and fifty meters out with her barrier down. After making quick work of her with a clean headshot he looked up to the resting asari. As he opened his mouth to speak Liara's omni-tool began flashing with an alert signaling an incoming transmission. Liara activated the speaker without hesitation.

"_All units, this is Admiral Hackett. Commander Shepard is activating the Crucible. Standby."_

"Now we just hope it isn't a giant bomb, right?"

"Well, Garrus, if it is I don't think we'll be alive for too long to worry about it, will we?"

The turian took aim and began firing once again, leaving Liara a bit surprised at his lack of a sarcastic rebuttal. She closed her eyes and began to re-establish her mental center. She focused on hushing the sounds of death and destruction emanating from every direction and lowered her consciousness back to relaxation. Liara's eyes opened and the sounds came crashing back down. As she began to prep another wave of biotics the young asari looked to the sky above her before letting out a vicious shout and blasting the energy toward the field of battle.

"Liara! Look!"

The asari followed Garrus' hand as it pointed toward a Reaper destroyer a few kilometers away. The lights adorning it's hull had begun to dim and fade until the body was completely dark and the long legs began to crumble beneath it, leaving the massive body to come crashing down.

"He did it?"

The two looked to one another in a brief moment of disbelief, almost looking for reassurance in each other that they weren't imagining what they had seen. A deep, commanding krogan voice suddenly burst from Liara's omnitool.

"_GARRUS! LIARA! What the hell is goin' on? I can't raise Shepard on comms!"_

"Wrex? We can't get to him directly, but look! The Reapers are-"

"_That's what I'm talkin' about! I was trying to take out this destroyer with only a Tomkah and that pyjak kills it before me! From space!"_

Garrus opened his mouth to speak only to stop himself and shake his head. No point in arguing with an angry krogan.

* * *

Commander Shepard lay motionless as the Normandy leveled off next to the circular maintenance platform. Mutliple crewman waited in the airlock for Joker to kill the safeties and open the door. Joker handed over the helm to EDI and limped to the opening hatch as four crewmen jumped onto the platform and ran to the bodies of Shepard and Anderson, checking for a pulse on both. One of the two next to Anderson shook his head and cursed under his breath before he and his partner turned to help the two lifting Shepard up and under their shoulders. Joker flipped on his comm.

"Med-bay this is Joker. You've got incoming."

* * *

Admiral Hackett glanced toward the mission timer at the corner of his command console. Nearly half a minute had passed since Shepard had reportedly activated the Crucible. His comm officer had begun to investigate a series of signals broadcasting outside of any standard Citadel space frequencies but she hadn't gotten a few seconds into her analysis before the admiral jerked up in his seat. His eyes stared intently into the video feeds on the screen before him before looking out the forward viewport. Across the expanse of space the red energy cannons of the Reapers had stopped firing. The dim lights that wrapped their bodies had vanished, making their silhouettes disappear in the pitch black. His communications officer (along with the rest of the bridge crew) stared just as dumbfounded as he did.

"Sir... What's happening?"

The admiral's lips slowly swelled into a smile. A sight his staff had not seen for many months.

"I think we just won, Ensign."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I had to make this chapter kind of short due to the pacing for the next segment of the story. If you're not a fan of the way the focus keeps changing constantly just hang on until chapter 3 as things will settle down a LOT. And for those curious about the Crucible and what it does I do plan on explaining it in the upcoming chapters... but if you want a tiny spoiler: it works. There will be no "twist for the sake of twists" that way too many writers have seemingly made standard over the past ten years. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Admiral Hackett stood with his hands behind his back as the door of his Kodiak shuttle hissed and opened to reveal a bustling carrier shuttle bay. The huge room was filled with shuttles being loaded or unloaded with various supplies and equipment. Dozens upon dozens of crewmen scurried about the cavernous shuttle bay, their movements accented by a constant drone of machine noise and human chatter. He placed his hand on the door to keep his balance as he stepped down from his elevated position. In front of him stood a stoic and serious-faced deck officer who, given her age and lack of visible battle fatigue, looked to be fresh out of officer training school. The officer immediately snapped a crisp salute.

"Sir, First Lieutenant Madeline Brooks reporting. I'll be your liaison for your visit aboard the SSV Mandela."

Admiral Hackett quickly composed himself and saluted in return. "Well met, Lieutenant. At ease. I believe you've already been briefed on my visit?"

The young woman brought her hands behind her and stood at ease as she responded to her superior officer. "Partially, Admiral. I've been informed that you are looking for something being held in storage bay E-06. My orders are to escort you there."

Hackett nodded in affirmation. "That's good enough for me. Lead on, Lieutenant."

Brooks turned on her heel and began walking toward an exit across the room. Hackett followed closely and observed the working crew members as he passed. "How long have you served on the Mandela, Lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Brooks turned her head to return visual contact with Hackett as they walked, his pace quickening until they were side by side. "Approximately six months, sir."

The two reached the end of their traverse across the shuttle bay and entered a freight elevator. Brooks tapped a button on the control panel and the car began to descend into the depths of the ship.

"Did she see much involvement in the battle?"

Brooks nodded curtly. "Yes, sir. We had almost every available fighter flying harassment on the Reaper fleet. A couple wings managed to take out a couple of destroyers with some well placed torpedoes."

Admiral Hackett smiled at the thought. "Excellent. What have ship-wide operations been since the battle?"

The elevator stopped and the lieutenant lead the two onward down a tall, wide hallway. "We've been running nearly non-stop support missions for the three days since. Our fighters are running air support missions for ground troops on mop-up and we have every available shuttle running re-supply or medevac." The woman stopped and turned toward a large cargo door. "We're here, sir."

Brooks reached to the security panel and made a few quick taps with her fingers. The large orange "lock" display on the center of the door phased to green and rotated, opening up a relatively small storage room. Admiral Hackett immediately saw what he came for: a lone casket sitting in the middle of the room. The admiral approached the black, temporary casket slowly, his liaison having assumed a guard position next to the door. Hackett stopped at the side and placed his hand on the sealed lid. He slowly rounded the side of the casket until he came to top. A simple inscription at the peak listed the name of the body therein.

_Rear Admiral David Anderson_

_SN: RA-330-094-14232_

"You did some damn fine work, Admiral. I wish I could have thanked you in person."

Hackett took a step back from the coffin and saluted. He lingered for a brief moment before turning and walking back to the door and approaching Lieutenant Brooks. "Lieutenant, would you kindly escort me back to the docking bay? I have a doctor's appointment."

* * *

"When are we expecting him to regain consciousness?"

"Any moment, sir. I'm doing one last check on his vital systems."

Doctor William McKay tapped a button on the display of Shepard's bed and began methodically analyzing the stream of data that poured from it. He couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as he worked. He had been a doctor for over twenty years, most of which had been spent serving with the Alliance, but Admiral Hackett was nothing if not an intimidating man. The admiral stood patiently behind the doctor as he worked, his eyes wandering across the equipment that filled the intensive care suite Shepard was being treated in. The medical frigate Issus had only been commissioned a few months before the Reaper invasion and had been kept among the reserve with Hackett's command cruiser during the Battle of Earth. The staff was comprised mainly of higher ranking and veteran members of the medical corps due to its large research lab. Hackett had had no doubt in his mind as to where Shepard would be brought for treatment.

"She's a hell of a ship."

"Yes sir, she is." McKay glanced from his work to a large collection of still unloaded boxes containing medical supplies and equipment. "Sorry about the mess. We were in the middle of fully stocking when the order came in for the assault."

"Mm. Well in your defense I didn't give much warning."

"Heh... Can't blame you for that, sir." The doctor tapped the display off and turned to face Admiral Hackett. "He's coming to."

Shepard laid motionless but for his rising and sinking chest as Admiral Hackett approached the bedside. His body still bore the blemishes of his last battle. Dozens of bruises, cuts and burns spotted his arms, legs and face. His stomach was still tightly bandaged on the gash that had caused much of his blood loss. The doctor reached to the cabinet beside the bed and pulled a rapid administration syringe filled with pain suppressors in case consciousness turned out to be too painful for Shepard to manage. The commander stirred slightly before taking in a deep breath and forcing his eyes open. The overhead lighting burned fiercely. He opened his mouth to speak and a weak, scratchy voice emerged.

"I'm alive..?"

The admiral smiled down to Shepard warmly.

"You bet your ass you are, son."

"And... my squad?"

"They're fine, Shepard. Though I'm not sure where they all are or what they're up to."

Doctor McKay set the syringe down on the counter behind the bed and cleared his throat softly.

"Commander, do you mind if I ask you a few questions? It's.. a regulation whenever we deal with comas or possible brain damage."

"Go ahead..."

"Your name?"

"John Shepard."

"Date of birth?"

"April 11th. 21...54."

"Your current assignment?"

"Stop the Reapers."

"Alright... Can you open your eyes for me?"

The commander reluctantly forced his eyes open wide and stared up at the ceiling. The doctor pulled an ophthalmoscope from his pocket and quickly leaned over the man to examine each eye. After finishing, seemingly satisfied, the doctor nodded to Admiral Hackett and slid the tool back into his pocket.

"You're in good condition. I'd recommend another day or so of rest, though."

"Whatever you say, doctor. Do you mind if we have the room?"

Doctor McKay saluted before adjusting his glasses and turning to leave. Admiral Hackett waited until the door had closed behind the doctor then looked down to a still groggy Shepard.

"Welcome back, commander."

"Thank you, sir... Did I miss much?"

"Do you want to have this debriefing now?"

Shepard smirked, an expression that caused him to wince in pain a bit, and shrugged lightly. "This is as good time as any, I suppose. How long was I under?"

"About three and a half days. You were unconscious when your crew picked you up on the Normandy. I requested you be transferred to this medical frigate immediately when I got word you had been recovered."

"I appreciate it."

"It's the least I could do."

Shepard chuckled softly. "So did it work?"

Admiral Hackett paused for a few moments before nodding.

"Yes. Somewhat. We're still trying to piece together how, exactly."

The commander gave Hackett a quizzical look. "What happened?"

"When the Crucible activated all the Reapers within the sol system..." The admiral paused briefly, seemingly looking for words, "...shut down temporarily."

"Shut down?"

"Some for as long as fifteen minutes. Those minutes bought our fleet enough time to eliminate almost the entire line of capital ships and even more destroyers. When the remaining Reapers began to regain power and awareness... they fled."

Shepard's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, his face tensing. "So there are still Reapers out there."

"Yes. But their numbers are a fraction of what they were before the battle. All fleets have been ordered to return to their home systems and combat any remnant Reaper forces. However we have a galactic wide standing order for fleet reassembly should the Reapers counter-attack."

Shepard nodded and eased his expression, satisfied with the course of action. "And the Crucible? What exactly did it-"

"You'll have to ask EDI more about that. She claims to have completed her own investigation of the Crucible's discharge."

Shepard sat quietly and stared out the small viewport on the wall of his room. Through the small porthole he could see numerous Alliance ships moving in formation. He almost wanted to pinch himself. It was over?

"What happens now, sir?"

Admiral Hackett crossed an arm across his torso, his hand craddling the elbow of his opposite arm as his hand scratched at his beard.

"Most of the Citadel population is alive... including the Council. They're arranging a meeting and they've respectfully requested your attendance as the temporary representative of humanity."

Shepard finally tore his eyes from the viewport and looked to the admiral.

"Sir, with all due respect, I'd rather be finishing this fight."

"Shepard. Son. The fight is over. We've been receiving consistent reports from across the galaxy of minimal Reaper activity and virtually no aggression. Commander, you won us this war. I want you representing humanity at this Council summit."

Commander Shepard remained silent for a long a time. He turned from Admiral Hackett back to the body that lay before his eyes. Every part of him was sore and aching. He didn't think he would make a very good representative of humanity. But then he did often find himself playing diplomat, even in the middle of a battlefield. He did have a knack for coercing people to abandon their inhibitions and think rationally. He finally looked back to the admiral and nodded slowly.

"Alright. I'll do it. But if this turns into nothing but a race game..."

"It won't, Shepard. Not if you're there. I've spoken to the Council personally and they know damn well what they owe you." Hackett placed his hand on Shepard' shoulder and smiled. "Now, I should be going. I've got a lot of work to do."

Shepard raised his arm to salute the admiral, but before he could he was met with Hackett's extending hand. The commander lowered his hand to the admiral's and grasped it firmly.

"You can dismiss yourself from care whenever you wish; don't let the doctors stop you. Now get yourself ready for that summit, Shepard. I'm counting on you."

"I will, sir. Thank you. Oh, and what ship am I on?"

"The Issus."

"Got it."

Admiral Hackett released his hand and briskly turned to leave the room. Shepard leaned back into the bed and closed his eyes, trying to mentally evaluate his status. He could tell he didn't have any broken bones and with the military grade treatment he had received he was certain his deeper wounds were sealed. He could probably see himself "checked out" in a couple of hours if he so desired, but for the moment he just wanted to lay here. The commander cracked an eye open and looked around the room for a comm tablet. He felt around on the side of the bed before his fingers finally swept across the comm's screen. He pulled the tablet to himself and began tapping away at the holographic keyboard.

_Liara,_

_ I'm awake on the SSV Issus. I've you're not too busy I might be able to squeeze a social visit into my busy schedule._

_-John_

Satisfied, he pressed send and set the tablet on the table beside his bed. Shepard settled back into the bed and began making a mental list of issues for the summit.

* * *

Liara stood patiently at the security checkpoint in the small hangar bay of the SSV Issus. She had already visited the ship twice in the past seventy-two hours and she was trying her best not to look visibly irritated with the crewman double-checking her security clearance. She understood the precaution. The young Alliance serviceman finally turned from his console after nearly a minute.

"Sorry again for the security checks, Doctor T'soni." The man tapped a button on the console and the blast door that lead to the interior of the ship slid apart.

"No apology needed." Liara did mean what she said, even if it came off with more than a bite than she intended. It had been a long few days with numerous restless hours.

"Welcome aboard, ma'am."

Liara nodded and gave a small polite smile to the checkpoint crewman before turning and briskly walking through the door. It was obvious why the Issus had heavy security once one was inside. The ship was brand new in almost every way conceivable. The construction mirrored that of the Normandy, which with the arrival of each new Alliance craft was appearing to be the first of the new cosmetic design for human warships. Looks did not make a ship valuable, however. Liara passed by laboratories, some open to observation and some very clearly closed, all state of the art in their design and function. She rounded a corner, checking a sign on the wall with a slight glance to confirm she was headed toward the intensive care unit. In the hall she saw a human in his middle years that had shown her in to see Shepard on one of her last visits. Doctor McKay smiled and nodded as he passed by. She returned the sentiment and turned at one last corner before reaching a door marked "ICS-025" and stopping. She took a deep breath and pressed her hand to the holographic panel on the door. The door pinged gently before sliding open.

Shepard stood at the window in a set of Alliance casual fatigues, looking out the window to observe the fleet movements that seemed to be on a continuous loop around the sector. He lingered on the view for a second or two as the door behind him opened before turning to face his visitor. Shepard didn't even have the opportunity to speak before Liara gravitated across the room to him and embraced him passionately. He reciprocated without a word and wrapped his arms around her tightly, a hand finding the base of her neck and cradling it gently as her face sank into his neck and shoulder. The two held each other silently until Liara finally pulled her head up and far enough away from his chest to look him in the eyes. She already had streaks of tears adorning her cheeks.

"You..." She clinched a fist and smacked him on the arm lightly. "I told you to stop dying!"

Shepard smiled and slid his hand from her neck to the base of her chin. "I didn't die this time. Almost doesn't count."

She laughed softly in happiness as another pair of tears ran down her face. "Fine then... I'll give you a pass this once."

The two smiled into one another's eyes for a fleeting moment before leaning into each other and sharing a long, deep kiss. As Liara reluctantly pulled herself back she ran a hand down the side of his face and an expression of concern replaced that of joy on her own.

"Are you alright, Shepard? Are you in pain?"

Shepard shook his head dismissively. "A little pain, but I've had much worse. The doctors say I'm well enough to leave whenever I'm ready."

Liara's expression fell to that of relief. "Thank the goddess. You are lucky there has been so much to do the past few days or else I would have been here worrying myself to death."

The commander took her hand and lead them to the nearby bed, sitting them down side by side. "Yeah.. Admiral Hackett told me he had a lot to take care of as well."

She smiled gently. "It is a good thing you're alive... This process might have taken a lot longer if you weren't. It might not have happened at all."

Shepard raised a brow. "What process is that?"

Liara smirked and placed her hands on the bed behind her, leaning back casually. "Oh, nothing major. Just rebuilding all of galactic civilization."

"Yeah... I bet that's off to a great start." Shepard mimicked her action and leaned back. It was relaxing.

"And now I've been told that the council has requested you for their fourth chair?" Liara glanced over to her bondmate with an almost amused look.

Shepard shook his head slowly. "Hackett assured me it's only temporary. I'm hoping for 'one council meeting long' temporary."

Liara leaned over with a warm smile and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I was teasing. I can't think of a better representative of the human race."

Shepard shrugged. "So... the team is...?"

"Still operational... but we had some injuries in London. Garrus has a nice limp now to match his scars."

The commander felt a pang of guilt. "That bastard can't catch a break, can he?"

"It's both minor and temporary."

"Good... What about the rest?"

"Well..." Liara took his hand in her's and squeezed. "You could ask them yourself... The Normandy is waiting."

* * *

"Well if it isn't the boss-man himself!" Lieutenant Cortez smiled as Shepard and Liara approached the docked Kodiak. Cortez was leaning on the hull next to the door with his arms folded across his chest. "I guess I'm still stuck ferrying you around, huh?"

Commander Shepard chuckled and extended a hand as he approached, a hand Cortez took kindly and shook. "Looks like it, Lieutenant. I see you got off easy from that crash."

The lieutenant laughed and jumped up into the hatch of the blue Alliance Kodiak. "Just a few cuts and bruises." He held his arm out to offer a helping hand.

Liara quickly leaped into the dropship, leaving Shepard unable to argue against the idea of having to be helped up. In all honesty he could manage just fine, but he _was_ sore. He took the hand and placed his other on the side of the door, jumping up into the Kodiak with his two shipmates.

"Is the Normandy nearby?" Shepard tapped a button next to the door to activate the closing sequence.

Cortez swung through the door to the cockpit and slid coolly into the pilot's seat, tapping a few buttons and igniting the thrusters. "She sure is. Hackett has her in formation with the rest of the support fleet. I think he wanted the Normandy nearby in case you needed to be evacuated to her." Cortez slid a finger across his communications console, opening a channel with one of the bridge crewmen of the Issus. "SSV Issus this is Kodiak shuttle tail number 89-0175 requesting departure from the docking bay."

"_Affirmative, Kodiak. The airlock will be open in fifteen seconds."_

Shepard turned from looking into the cockpit back to the seating area. Liara sat silently on one of the benches, smiling up to him. He walked to the seat and joined her, letting out a soft grunt as he sat. As he did the Kodiak jumped to life and lifted a few meters off the floor before turning and approaching the hangar airlock.

"You're going to have quite the welcoming committee when you get to the Normandy." Liara glanced over to the commander, the smile still lingering on her lips.

Shepard smirked. "I'm not huge on parties. But if there's an open bar..."

"You're going to have your ears talked off by EDI as well. And I think you would be wise to listen."

As Liara finished the Kodiak jerked forward, quickly accelerating to cruising velocity and leaving the SSV Issus behind. The briefing screen in front of them blinked on, giving them a holographic three-dimensional map showing the Kodiak as it sped between the Issus and the nearby Normandy. The shuttle ride lasted barely over a minute before the craft decelerated, lining up with and entering the Normandy's docking bay. The shuttle set down with a soft drop and Cortez stood from his seat, entering the passenger area.

"Told you she was close." Cortez had barely opened the door as Shepard dropped down onto the deck of the Normandy.

"_Welcome back, Commander." _EDI's soothing voice radiated around them as Liara exited the transport after him.

"Thanks EDI. It's good to be back."

"_And it is good to have you. Are you planning to tour the ship and greet the crew?"_

"I think I'll do just that." Shepard and Liara began walking through the empty hangar to the elevator.

"_Good. I believe the crew would like to see you alive and well. I would like to request a meeting between you and my analog body when you have finished."_

Shepard and Liara entered the elevator and he tapped the "2 – CIC" button to begin his rounds.

"Alright, EDI. Deal."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I hope you enjoyed the read! If you did, feel free to leave a review and tell me what you liked! If you didn't, leave a review and tell me why I'm terrible!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Shepard stared idly at the elevator door as it came to a stop. The panel chimed softly and the current floor updated to display a two. He took a deep breath and glanced to Liara. She stood at his flank with her arms crossed and nodded toward the door.

"Go on! I need to head down to my cabin and take care of some things."

She smiled warmly as he turned and stepped toward the hatch, causing it to open and reveal the ever-busy CIC. The crew was clearly too busy to notice the elevator opening. Systems operators sat at their seats and tapped away diligently at their stations. Shepard stepped out of the elevator and approached the familiar figure standing to the right of the CIC's galaxy map. The commander casually stepped up to her side and looked to the panel as she worked. She didn't seem to notice or mind that someone was observing her.

"Working hard, Traynor?"

"Hard as always, boss."

She continued swiping her fingers across the screen for another second before coming to an abrupt halt. She spun to her side, eyes wide. "Shepard!"

Traynor clearly didn't know whether to salute, shake his hand or give him a hug. Luckily before she had to choose the eight or nine crewmen on deck began surrounding them and filling the air with various welcome homes and slaps on the back. Shepard talked joyfully with them and cracked a joke or two about how the Collectors tried to kill him once and the Reapers clearly didn't learn from their mistake. Shepard made sure to shake the hand of every one of them before they headed back to their stations. Once they had dispersed he turned back to a wildly grinning Traynor who stood leaning against her console.

"Aaand Joker owes me a ten spot. He thought you'd be on the Issus for at least a week." She shook her head playfully, "Silly boy." At that the specialist stuck out her hand. Shepard grabbed it and shook firmly.

"Looks like things held up without me." As Shepard spoke he turned and leaned against the console next to Traynor, looking toward the elevator but at nothing in particular.

"Well, it was tough to get by without your notoriously meticulous micromanagement, but somehow we made it work." She glanced toward him and smirked.

Shepard let out a small chuckle and shook his head,"So this is really it, huh? We did it?"

Traynor furrowed her brow as she responded, "Wait, you're asking me? You were there, weren't you?"

He shrugged lightly. "I was bleeding out and barely conscious when I activated the Crucible. You know more about what happened than I do."

"Well I know what EDI, Liara and I have theorized." She tottered from side to side and she put on a jokingly arrogant tone. "Well, let's be honest, I'm the comm expert who provided most of the data, buuut who's keeping score, right?"

Shepard shook his head with a smile and stood up. "Well I have a lot of people to see before EDI can debrief me. I'm glad you're still in one piece, Traynor."

The specialist stood up from the console as well and took a step toward him before awkwardly embracing him in a quick hug. "Thanks, Commander. I'm really glad you're back."

She quickly cleared her throat and snapped a proud salute which Shepard earnestly returned. She nodded and turned back to her console, leaving Shepard with only one person left to see on the CIC. He rounded the galaxy map and walked down the hall to the bridge nodding and waving to crewmen as he passed. He tapped on the bulkhead as he stopped at the entrance, looking at the back of the helmsman's chair. The chair slowly turned around to reveal Joker with his hands folded up to his mouth and his eyes narrowed.

"Ah, Commander Shepard. I've been expecting you..."

Shepard casually sauntered forward, eyeing him suspiciously. "Is that so?"

Joker shrugged and dropped his hands to his sides. "Na, just messin' around. Though I will say it's an honor to be flying for the man who destroyed an entire armada of galaxy-eating, sentient deathbots. I bet you don't see that on many résumés."

The commander laughed and gave a ponderous shrug. "I don't know. I think we can give that honor to just about everyone in the galaxy at this point."

"Yeah, seriously. Can you imagine how much hazard pay the Alliance is going to have to dole out in a few weeks?"

Shepard shook his head in amusement before looking over to the empty co-pilot's seat. "Where's EDI?"

"_My analog form is currently on the Engineering deck. Do you wish to speak in person on the bridge?"_

"Don't worry about it. I'll call you up to my cabin when I'm done visiting with the rest of the crew."

"_Understood, Shepard."_

Shepard looked back to Joker. "I think I owe you a thanks for saving me. Or at least part of one."

Joker shrugged. "Eh, you know, just flew the ship through the hotbed of the biggest galactic naval battle in recorded history to pick you up. No biggie. And to be fair EDI did tell me where you were so I guess you could get her a thank you card or something."

"I'll have to do that. But I think she might be confused as to why I gave her a piece of paper with words on it instead of just speaking them to her."

Joker nodded in agreement. "Honestly I'm a little confused why people do that."

Shepard walked over and sat down in the co-pilot's seat, turning to face Joker as he sat back and relaxed. "So how did the battle go? I assume the Normandy was on the front line."

"Uhhh. Yeah. Sure. Front line. I mean after we had dropped you off on Earth and got back up to the battle there really wasn't much of what I would call "lines" so much as a giant clusterfuck of death. But if you want to call that the front line, go for it."

"I've been in enough battles to tell you that a giant clusterfuck of death is exactly what I'd call the front line. Score any kills?"

Joker leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head coolly. "Eh, a few. There was this Reaper capital ship that I took down _single-handedly._"

"_Pardon my interruption, Jeff, but I do believe it was my firing vector that set you up for the initial shot, was it not?"_

"Uhh, yeah, keyword being initial. And the follow-up that tore that thing in two? I'll take credit for that one if that's okay with you."

Shepard smirked as he observed the squabble between the two.

"_Fine. I suppose that was a rather impressive shot."_

Joker nodded and sat up. "See! Like I said. We did a little bit."

Shepard stood from the seat and walked over to Joker's chair, holding out a hand. Joker looked at the hand near his face and pushed it away before pulling himself to his feet and finding his balance, holding his hand out. Shepard shook it and gave Joker a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Joker. You're a hell of a pilot and a hell of a friend."

"Aw, geez, commander you're gonna make me tear up." Joker nodded in thanks and sat back down. "Commander."

Shepard nodded and turned to leave as the chair spun back around to the helm console. Shepard walked back down the hall toward the elevator.

* * *

Shepard stepped off the elevator and onto the Engineering deck, having finished his rounds on the hangar and crew's quarters. He walked through the series of reinforced doors leading to the engine room and smiled as he saw the Normandy's engineering team at their stations.

"Officer on deck! At attention!" Engineers Adams, Donnelly and Daniels immediately turned and snapped to attention, holding for only a second before breaking and smiling. Shepard grinned and nodded. "Now those were some nice salutes!"

Daniels broke attention as soon as Shepard teased them and crossed her arms. "Really funny, commander. You had us worried sick!"

Donnelly and Adams took a few steps forward to stand next to Daniels and nodded to Shepard. Donnelly crossed his arms and cocked his hips to imitate Daniels. "Aye, sir. Worried sick! Ya know, mainly because we didn't want to get reassigned from the Normandy, but still worried!"

Shepard chuckled and extended his hand to offer a shake to each of the engineers. Donnelly, Daniels and Adams accepted in turn.

"You sure know how to put up one hell of a fight, commander." Adams grasped Shepard's hand firmly as he finally spoke.

"I do what I can, Adams. Everything going well down here?" Shepard glanced around the Engineering compartment.

"Ship shape, captain." Donnelly smiled proudly as Shepard nodded in affirmation.

"Well I expect you three to keep it that way!" Shepard grinned and gave the three engineers a salute that was returned instantly by his crewmen. "But if you'll forgive me I have a little meeting to attend to..."

"Sure thing, commander!" Daniels beamed in excitement as she lowered her salute and turned back to her work.

Shepard nodded a goodbye and turned to exit. As he reached the hallway he glanced left to the compartment where Javik had set up his quarters. Shepard turned to the right and boarded the elevator once again, this time heading up to his own room. He looked up slightly as he spoke.

"EDI, I'm headed up to my cabin if you're ready."

"_I am always ready, Shepard. I will be there momentarily."_

* * *

Shepard lounged on his couch with his arm draped across the back as he waited for EDI to appear. He held a datapad in his free hand, methodically reading through Admiral Hackett's after action report on the Battle of Earth. He could not help but be in awe of the odds they had faced and somehow overcome. However, his biggest concern was that of the approximately one hundred surviving Reapers that had fled the battle before the fleet could finish them off. His rational self acknowledged that they would most likely scatter and never mount a serious counterattack, but that little bit of paranoia in him that helped him stay vigilant was having a hard time accepting this. He shook his head and set the datapad down, determined not to over think anything at this point. He stood up and walked to his computer terminal to read through the back-log of messages he had no doubt accumulated. Unfortunately he didn't even have the chance to turn on the monitor before a single loud "clang" rang out from the door of his cabin. He froze for a moment, stifling a laugh the best he could.

"EDI, is that your version of a knock?"

"_I do not understand why organics find it necessary to knock more than once."_

Shepard turned and walked to the door, opening it for EDI as she stood perfectly still and waiting on the other side.

"I think it's to avoid confusion. A single knock could be confused for something else... like someone dropping a heavy object, for instance."

EDI entered the room and Shepard turned to follow. She took three steps before stopping once again.

"I see. My on-board sensors allow me to isolate many factors of sound anomalies including cause and probable origin with accuracy up to ninety-eight percent. I had not considered organics' lack of standard ship sensors."

Shepard nodded toward the sitting area, bringing the two down the steps and to the couch. He sat down and glanced up to EDI as she remained standing.

"I would prefer to stand, Shepard. Also, I have decided that I will knock three times from now on."

EDI stood still for a few seconds before turning and slowly pacing back and forth on the opposite side of the table from Shepard.

"I would like to begin by saying that I have been documenting the crew and ground team's actions since the battle. If you would like an update on your team's status I would be glad to provide you with my most recent data."

Shepard immediately sat up as EDI mentioned the squad.

"Yes, please. So far you and Liara are the only ones I've seen."

EDI nodded and stopped pacing, returning to a standing position. Her arms folded behind her back as she stood at a pseudo at ease stance.

"The team is currently engaged in combat operations on Earth. The Alliance has made it their top priority to eliminate remnant Reaper forces in major population centers to facilitate the rebuilding process of major cities and their infrastructures. Most team members are fighting with different units and are ready to be recalled back to the Normandy. Assuming that does not directly contradict a standing order, of course."

Shepard leaned back, running a hand across the top of his head as he considered the situation. "So... that's everyone on the team except for you and Liara?"

"No. Doctor Chakwas is on Earth working in a field hospital. In addition, several members of the team are no longer in-system. Urdnot Wrex and a majority of the Krogan forces returned to Tuchanka almost immediately after Admiral Hackett declared victory in the naval battle. Tali'Zorah also left with the Quarian fleet when they returned to Rannoch. I believe she wrote you a message which is available at your private terminal."

"I see. And you and Liara have had work of your own?"

"Correct. Liara, Specialist Traynor and I have been studying the Crucible's discharge and I have determined what I believe to be its primary function."

Shepard shifted anxiously. "Which was?"

"A transmission device. The Crucible was designed to boost the signal strength of a transmission sequence that appeared to be stored on the Citadel. The Citadel, or Catalyst as it was referred to during construction, had already been prepared to transmit the signal by a previous cycle. In doing so, the Citadel provided the transmission itself as well as the ability to draw incredibly large amounts of power from the station's reserves." EDI remained straight faced as ever as she explained her theory to Shepard, still standing motionless with her hands behind her back.

"So you're saying the Crucible was basically a giant antenna?"

EDI pondered this for a moment. "Strictly as an analogy, yes. The Crucible's engineering itself is far more complex than that of a simple antenna. The signal was broadcast into the Reaper's primary 'frequency' of communication. While I have always documented the presence of these signals they are too complex and... different for me to comprehend them."

Shepard nodded slowly before cocking a brow. "So what exactly was the transmission?"

"I believe the best human analogy would be a sensory overload. The signal itself was simply so strong and full of data that the Reapers could not process it and crashed into a catatonic state. Some recovered quickly. Most did not."

Shepard sat back and stared into nothing as he tried to comprehend the idea that the Reapers, the greatest foe any race of any cycle in the galaxy had ever faced, had been defeated by something so simple. "That's it? That's really all that happened when I activated the Crucible?"

"As far as I, Doctor T'soni and Specialist Traynor can tell, yes."

The commander shook his head and laughed. "After all this time... all I'd ever needed to do was shout at them as loud as possible with an enormous megaphone."

"While I recognize you meant that comment in jest, I would advise that you not undervalue the role the fleet played in the final battle. Your work assembling the largest fleet in recorded history is the main reason we emerged victorious."

Shepard sat back on the couch and smiled. It felt good to hear that. To know that three years of work had finally paid off was a feeling he welcomed with open arms. "Well, anything else you wanted to debrief me on?"

"No, Shepard. That is all."

"You said the team is down on Earth... Could you contact them and find out who can return to the Normandy within a few hours?

EDI nodded curtly. "Of course, commander. Message sent."

"Thanks, EDI. Dismissed." Shepard stood up as he spoke, nodding appreciatively to EDI's analog form. She smiled in return then turned to leave the cabin.

Shepard returned to his private terminal and flipped the monitor on, taking a seat in front of it. He let out a groan as he scanned the enormous list of unread messages. He tapped the filter field and typed into the bar, "Sender: Tali'Zorah." The list of messages quickly filtered to only a handful, all marked as read but one. He tapped the unread message and began to read.

_Shepard,_

_I hope this message finds you well. The last thing I wanted when we hit the ground in London was to leave without you leading us out. Sadly that fear became a reality and we were forced to hold our own without you. Right now all I or anyone else on the team knows is that you are alive and should recover quickly. Knowing this it saddens me to have to tell you through a message that I will most likely not be there when you awaken. I just left a meeting with the other Admirals and the fleet is preparing to return to Rannoch... as a member of the Admiralty Board I will be returning with them. Please reply whenever you can, Shepard. It'll drive me insane with anxiety if I have to wait too long to find out how you're doing. _

_Always your friend,_

_Tali'Zorah vas Normandy_

The commander smiled and clicked the reply box, typing in a quick response.

_Tali,_

_Things are going well for me. I'm not dead, for starters. I'll spare you the details for now though. I'll give you the full run-down face to face before you know it. I'd get to work on that living room, by the way._

_-Shepard_

He let out a long yawn as he hit send, giving a wide stretch of his arms. He stood and after thinking for a moment or two about what to do next, quickly found himself gravitating toward his bed. He dropped onto the sheets and let out a sigh of relaxation. He'd earned a little nap.

* * *

"Shepard...?"

The commander groaned slightly as his rest was tragically cut short by a soft voice and nudging on his shoulder. Shepard rolled onto his back and opened his eyes, groggily turning his head to the right to see Liara sitting on the side of the bed next to him. She wore and amused smile as he rubbed his eyes in an ill-fated attempt to jump-start them.

"Nnggghhhh... Liara..?"

"I'm sorry I had to wake you, but you hadn't responded to my knocking."

Shepard closed his eyes and let out a small yawn. "You worried about me?"

"Only that you might have been upset that you were asleep while the team was waiting."

Shepard's eyes flew open and he sat up, looking to the ceiling as if EDI was there. "EDI, did we get responses from the team members on Earth?"

"_Yes, commander, but I thought you might want to enjoy the rest. I informed Doctor T'soni and she insisted on reporting the responses to you."_

"Well... I can't say either one of you was wrong." Shepard leaned over and kissed Liara on the cheek. "Thanks." He glanced to the ceiling. "You too, EDI. So what's the situation?"

Shepard pulled himself to the side of the bed and dropped his feet to the floor, Liara standing up with him.

"Well, according to EDI the team members are meeting in a forward operating base in a city called Berlin."

Shepard looked to her curiously. "Berlin?"

"The Alliance is working hard to wipe out Reaper forces in high population centers." Liara shrugged, assuming Shepard would know more about Berlin than she did.

"I see. Who exactly do we have on the ground there? EDI, do you know?"

"_Multiple crew members have responded affirmative to the recall order. James, Garrus, Kaidan, Javik, Doctor Chakwas and Jack are all in the Berlin area and will be at the FOB when you arrive."_

Shepard grinned slightly and looked to Liara. "So we're headed to a city in the throes of battle? I hope my spare set of armor is still in the armory."

"You know the base is probably very secure! It's not like we're going to be dropped into a combat zone." Liara crossed her arms and raised a brow as she made her argument.

"You're probably right. Still, better safe than sorry." He winked and walked to the door. Liara shook her head with a sigh and followed close behind.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well this chapter just ended up being a whole lot of exposition. Sorry about that. However now that Shepard has been brought up to speed the actual story can begin! Also I'm not sure I'll ever be satisfied with the Crucible. In the end I wanted something that helped win the battle, but wasn't just a giant deus ex machina. I also didn't want it to overshadow the fact that the galactic fleet still won the battle itself. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The suburbs and sprawl of Berlin stretched on for miles in the evening darkness. Fires accented the expanse of buildings that were stained with a seemingly random severity of destruction. The hull cameras offered Shepard a view of the city as the Kodiak sped toward the urban center at just a few hundred feet off the ground. It was clear that the city had not been hit nearly as hard as London. A large portion of the enormous superstructures that made up the center of many Earthen cities were still not only intact but seemingly safe to occupy. Shepard glanced away from the viewscreen to Liara who was busy tapping away at a datapad.

"Find anything interesting?"

The asari nodded in response, still searching and reading as she responded. "I have gotten some information, yes. It's good to know some of my contacts are still alive. It appears the city sustained a comparatively low level of damage." She paused briefly as she read through another file. "Officials from what remains of the European Union have established their headquarters here."

Shepard turned back to the screen and squinted to focus on a haunting silhouette of a dead Reaper laying among damaged buildings in the distance.

"Well let's hope they don't try to rope me into whatever council they have going."

Liara glanced up to him with a grin and turned off the datapad. She slid it back into a containment pouch on the wall and pulled out her firearm, beginning a quick check to make sure it was behaving optimally. Shepard walked across the small cabin to the cockpit door and leaned in.

"Are we close?"

"Sure are, commander."

As Cortez answered he pulled the Kodiak into a wide bank and pointed the nose toward a large building. The scorched white walls of the structure were spotted with lights (unlike most buildings in the city) and multiple landing pads were shining brightly on the roof. The building, around thirty floors tall but quite wide and long in expanse, was located at the edge of a large collection of superstructures that Shepard assumed was downtown. The Kodiak began a rapid deceleration as the surface of the roof grew near and in a few seconds Shepard could feel the shuttle come to a halt and slowly descend to a landing zone. He turned back to the passenger cabin and looked down, double checking his armor and omnitool settings before looking to Liara as she waited by the door. The humming of the thrusters died and Shepard tapped the control panel, signaling the side door to open.

The two hopped out of the shuttle and looked around the roof they had landed on. Supplies were stacked everywhere. Weapon caches, food containers and even sleeping bags were sprawled before them with dozens of men and women attending to them. There were at least six landing zones Shepard could see, all marked with a series of lights in a pattern used by the Alliance to organize impromptu docking. A half dozen shuttles were visible both on the roof and in the air nearby either loaded with supplies or troops. Shepard didn't have much time to look about before he was greeted by a dark haired marine that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The marine saluted (a gesture immediately returned by Shepard) and spoke with a piercing voice to punch through the ambient noise that surrounded them. "Specialist Alexi Korova, sir. We weren't told much about the nature of your visit, but..." The specialist stopped talking and looked over the commander's face and to the N7 logo on his shoulder. "Holy shit... Commander Shepard?"

"We don't need the whole FOB alerted to my presence, specialist. I've got some important meetings I need to take care of."

Specialist Korova nodded understandingly and looked around to make sure no one else had taken notice of the visitors. "Yes sir, of course. If you'll follow me I have orders to escort you to the fifth floor."

Shepard nodded and he and Liara followed behind the marine as they waded through an ocean of boxes to the rooftop exit. The door pinged and opened to reveal a large elevator that the three stepped into.

"So what was this place?" Shepard leaned back as Korova tapped a button on the elevator controls and the car began to descend.

"Just a business complex. It was the main base used by the resistance movement in Berlin. You'll see why when we get to the lobby."

Liara cleared her throat slightly and spoke. "So the mop up has been smooth for the city?"

Korova shrugged. "Well the Reaper forces are much less aggressive than they were before the naval battle. A lot of the men are feeling like glorified pest exterminators."

Shepard grunted slightly. "It's better this way. Trust me."

"You don't have to convince me, sir."

The elevator came to a sudden stop and the doors opened to reveal what looked like a balcony. The trio exited the elevator into an enormous atrium that was wrapped in multiple floors of semi-circle walkways. Shepard walked to the railing and looked over into the expansive room below him and instantly recognized why the building had been used as a combat headquarters. On the far wall were dozens of holes once filled by glass doors and windows. Then, almost like an amphitheater, the floor rose up from the entrance in a crescent of stairs to the second floor. The second floor, which was the main floor of the atrium, had been completely barricaded and was setup to offer firing positions on the stairs leading up from the entrance.

"Looks like the resistance here had it easy compared to London... the Reapers actually left a few buildings standing." Shepard marveled at the countless bullet holes and scorch marks that covered the floor and wall around the main entrance.

Liara nudged Shepard and pointed toward the specialist as he stood ready and waiting. Shepard apologized and the three continued their walk along the hall to a meeting room. Specialist Korova opened the door and nodded them in before turning to leave. Shepard and Liara entered and found themselves greeted by two familiar faces. In a chair behind the conference table sat Jack with her arms crossed and chin in her chest. While she dozed a dark haired man stood contemplating a projected map of the greater Berlin area. As he heard the door closing the man turned and crossed his arms, smiling warmly to the two newcomers.

Shepard grinned and approached him with an extended hand. "Well look at this... Major Kaidan Alenko alive and well."

Kaidan laughed and took Shepard's hand, shaking it firmly. "I think if anyone's survival is worthy of awe it's your own, commander." He smiled and nodded to Liara. "Hey Liara. Keeping him on his meds?"

"Well I'm not that kind of doctor, but I'm doing my best." Liara smiled in return and nodded a hello to Kaidan.

Behind Kaidan the tattooed woman rustled slightly before opening her eyes and glancing up. She let out a huge yawn and leaned back in her chair, whipping her boots up onto the table and crossing them. "Well fuck me, Shepard finally decided to show up!"

The commander shook his head with a smile. "Don't sound too thrilled, Jack."

"Hey now, no need to get snarky with me. You took your damn time." Jack pulled her feet off the table and onto the floor. She stood and strolled casually over to the three others and nodded toward Kaidan. "I was having a blast getting to know the vice-president of Boy Scouts Incorporated."

Kaidan glanced to Jack. "Yeah, we got to share all kinds of stories involving us in perilous danger. Funny how many of them included the phrase, 'And that's when Shepard's speech started...'"

Shepard chuckled and looked around the room quickly, double checking to make sure no one else was around. "So... where's everyone else? EDI said Garrus, James and Javik were here too."

Kaidan signaled toward the tactical map he had been looking at as they arrived. "James and Javik are headed back from a patrol now." He looked back to Shepard and Liara. "You didn't see Garrus on your way here?"

Shepard and Liara shook their heads and Jack nodded toward the door. "He's been in his little sniper nest for like a day and a half. I can show you where."

Liara looked to Kiadan. "Should we wait for James and Javik?"

Kaidan was already analyzing the map again as he responded. "Na, they're still half and hour out. You probably have time to go find Doctor Chakwas too. I've got to handle some things... Jack, do you mind?"

Jack nodded once. "Let's get our asses mobile." Jack set off to the door with Shepard following behind. He turned back as he noticed Liara remaining stationary.

"I'll stay here, Shepard. I'd like to finish that research I was doing on the shuttle." Liara glanced to her omnitool.

The commander gave her a nod of affirmation and turned to catch up with Jack.

* * *

Shepard looked around the eerily still office Jack and lead him to. Desks, overturned potted plants, broken lamps, datapads and numerous small knickknacks littered the floor. He tried his best not to step on anything that looked personal; he nearly brought his foot down onto a framed picture of a woman and child before catching himself and averting his path. Jack, on the other hand, stomped on ahead of him.

"Am I going too fast for ya, Shepard?" Jack glanced over her shoulder with a grin.

Shepard ignored the dig. "We getting close?"

Jack stopped a few yards ahead of him and crossed her arms. "We sure are." She motioned to her left and a pair of large glass doors.

Shepard approached the doors and placed a gloved hand on one of the handles. He pushed the heavy doors open with ease and stepped out onto a large covered balcony. Jack followed close behind and nodded toward the corner. Shepard glanced to his left in the direction she had nodded to see the long barrel of an M-97 Viper pointed out toward the city. Garrus sat motionless at the end. One of his mandibles gave a nearly unnoticeable twitch before a single shot rang out from the sniper rifle. Garrus held his eye on the scope for another second to confirm his shot had found the target.

"Shepard..." Garrus finally leaned back from the rifle and pulled it from the bipod it had been resting on, setting the gun barrel-up at his side. "I was wondering how long it would take you to come back from the dead this time."

"You'd think they'd just stop trying to kill me after a certain point." Shepard grinned at his turian comrade.

Jack rolled her eyes. "Well I can see you two need to get this homo-erotic tension worked out so I'll just head back down to the conference room."

Garrus shrugged and stood up with a slight grunt of pain. "Well sorry, Jack... this beautiful vista just really brings out the romantic in me."

"Whatever." Jack smirked and turned back to the door. "Later, boys."

Shepard chuckled lightly and took a few steps to meet Garrus, noticing his limp. The two instinctively took each other's hands and shook firmly. "Guess you didn't get out of the battle without a few scars, eh?"

Garrus looked down to his leg which was still encased in a medical wrap. "I've had worse. You know, like the missile that blew off half of my face." Garrus motioned toward a couple of chairs by the edge of the balcony and the two sat themselves.

Shepard looked out into the dark city. "Nice view."

"I suppose you could say that. I can't be out on the front lines with this damned leg so this is the best I can do."

"You do know that after all we've been through this little vacation might actually be warranted, right?" Shepard glanced over to Garrus as he sat resting with his eyes closed and his head back.

"I know. I know." Garrus opened his eyes and looked over to Shepard. "It's damn good to see you, Shepard."

"You too, Garrus. I know you'd probably rather be back on Palaven by now..."

"Virtually the entire turian military is there so I figured they could manage without me for a few days. But what's this I hear about you being on the Council...?" Garrus gave Shepard a confused look. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you can broker a peace like no one's business but I didn't think being a Councilor was your style..."

Shepard groaned and shook his head. "It's just for one meeting. At least that's all I promised. And how the hell do you even know about it?"

Garrus chuckled. "Don't worry, Liara told me just a few hours ago. Though that does make two of us with some business with the Council."

Shepard smirked and raised a brow. "You finally get that C-Sec reinstatement?"

"Heh, not quite..." He straightened up. "By the sounds of it they're looking for new Spectres. They've got a lot of work in store keeping the peace."

"You gonna go for it?" Shepard watched Garrus intently.

Garrus remained silent for a moment. "I'm not sure. At this point I just want my damned leg back to normal."

"One step at a time, huh?"

"If that was a leg joke it was terrible."

* * *

"Well, this is it." Garrus led Shepard into the large, convention sized conference room that had been converted to a field hospital and pointed toward the back left. "Chakwas has a station back there. I'm going to get a new wrap for this leg and head up to the others."

"You know where they are?"

"I can find them."

Garrus turned and caught the attention of one of the nurses, leaving Shepard to head into the maze in search of Doctor Chakwas. As Shepard began to wander through the rows of operating tables and cots he couldn't help but notice how empty the hospital was. He wasn't sure if this was because most of the wounded had been shipped out already or if casualty rates had dropped due to the new passive attitude of the Reaper forces. He didn't have much time to think about it before a crisp voice brought him to a halt mid-step.

"Excuse me, sir, but I don't think you're authorized to be in this area." The ever-so-familiar English accent brought a smile to Shepard's face.

"Sorry, Doctor. I had some urgent business to take care of." Shepard turned around to see a smiling Doctor Chakwas sitting beside a makeshift desk.

"Well I suppose if it's urgent I can let it slide."

Chakwas rose to her feet and walked over to Shepard, not hesitating to wrap her arms around him in a warm hug. Shepard couldn't help but feel as though his own mother was giving him a welcome home embrace. Chakwas stepped back and put her hands on his arms, beaming up to him.

"The hero.. and with only a few scars and burns!" Chakwas pulled her arms back and folded them across her chest. "I hope you didn't get spoiled by those high ranking doctors on the Issus."

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry, doc. If I'd been conscious I would have told Hackett to leave me in the Normandy's medbay with you."

Chakwas laughed and shook her head. "Oh don't be ridiculous. I'd have forced you onto that medical frigate without a second thought."

"Not a very busy field hospital..." Shepard looked around the room of mostly empty cots.

"Fortunately, yes. And because of that I won't feel guilty about heading back up to the Normandy. That is why EDI contacted me... isn't it?"

The commander looked back to Chakwas. "I think you've earned the right to serve wherever you think you'd do the most good."

The doctor turned back to her desk and picked up a relatively small duffel bag. "Well in that case we'll have to see what the Normandy's next deployment orders are."

Shepard heard a soft ping sound from his omnitool and tapped a button to open his comm. _"Shepard? It's Liara. Javik and James just got in."_

"Thanks, we're on our way." Shepard closed the link and looked back to Doctor Chakwas. "Ready?"

"Lead on, commander."

Shepard and Chakwas walked back through the rows of cots and operating tables to the hallway he and Garrus had entered from. As they walked through the door they were greeted by Jack as she leaned against the wall across the hall. Doctor Chakwas smiled at the familiar face.

"Hello, Jack."

Jack stood up from the wall and walked over to Shepard and Chakwas, giving an awkward smile to the doctor. "Uh, hey Doctor Chakwas." She quickly turned her attention to the commander. "Shepard, do you think we could talk alone for a minute?"

Doctor Chakwas turned to Shepard. "Shall I head on upstairs then?"

Shepard smiled appreciatively in response. "Thanks, doctor. Fifth floor in the atrium. They're in one of the conference rooms to the left off the elevator."

Doctor Chakwas nodded goodbye and headed off down the hallway. Shepard turned back to his biotic companion. "What's up, Jack?"

She averted her gaze and let out a sigh. "Look, Shepard, I know you're here to get the gang back on the Normandy and all that shit, but I can't just up and leave the responsibilities I've got here!"

"Jack... I'm not here to bring anyone back to the Normandy. I just wanted to make sure everyone's alive." Shepard crossed his arms and shrugged. "I don't even know if I'll be in command of the Normandy by the end of the week."

Jack turned back to Shepard with an unbelieving look. "You're not trying to get the squad back together? Isn't that like your thing?"

Shepard laughed and shook his head. "Jack if you want to stay here with your students that's all you need to say."

She looked down and nodded. "Yeah... okay. Most of them are already en route to Tokyo. I should really be there." Jack glanced back up to Shepard. He held out a hand and Jack promptly responded by punching his arm. "Fuck your handshakes. We'll get a drink sometime."

Shepard smiled and let his arm fall back to his side. "Sounds good, Jack."

Jack raised her arm and ran her hand slowly through what hair she had. "By the way, Shepard... thanks. I'm glad you came to see me. I mean... us."

Shepard could see the maturity in her eyes. It wasn't something that had been there a year ago when they had met. "Thank _you_, Jack. You did more for me and this galaxy than most."

"Hey, if there's a galactic apocalypse I'm going to have to do some killing one way or another. Might as well be for pay, right?" She gave Shepard a wicked grin. "Anyway I'm gonna head out... a couple of those transports on the roof are heading to Tokyo. It's next on the list for the Alliance."

Shepard hit her lightly on the arm. "Keep in touch, Jack."

"Eh, I'll think about it. And damn, don't be such a pussy next time you try to hit me." She gave him a strong punch in the same place she had earlier and turned to leave without another word.

* * *

Commander Shepard stood staring at the elevator doors as it smoothly rose to the fifth floor. He'd expected Jack would be heading off on her own path, but it warmed a place in his heart that she wanted to be with her students. Her kids. Perhaps coming from a place without nurture had spurned her to nurture others as a way of compensating. The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid apart, revealing the enormous, battle-worn atrium of this once ordinary business center. Shepard exited the car and proceeded down the walkway to the conference room.

Shepard pushed open the door and took a step into the room. Liara and Doctor Chakwas sat at the conference table engaged in lively chatter. Liara glanced toward him and smiled warmly before looking back to Doctor Chakwas and nodded to something the doctor had asked. Kaidan sat at the end of the table tapping away at a datapad while referencing the tactical map. Shepard assumed he was in the process of transferring orders and command to another officer. Javik stood silently in the corner of the room. He wore the same grim, stern look as always and held his arms across his chest defensively. Garrus and James were in the middle of a loud, jovial conversation which quickly was put on hold when Vega saw Shepard enter the room.

"Hey! Loco! You look good for a dead man!"

Shepard approached the two and shook his head. "You know the 'almost dying' joke is going to get old eventually. In fact it might have crossed that line about a year ago."

Garrus shrugged and rubbed his hand up against his facial scars. "Some things don't change, Shepard. I'll never lose these scars and you'll never have to worry about funeral expenses."

James raised his hand and saluted sharply. "Good to see you, commander."

Shepard saluted in return and nodded. "You too, Vega. How's the fight been?"

"Eh, pretty easy compared the shit you pulled me through to get here."

"Next time we save the galaxy from annihilation I'll keep your sensibilities in mind."

Garrus nudged James and leaned toward him, whispering jokingly. "He's lying. I've fallen for that trick twice now."

"Yeeeah, I figured." James looked down with a hint of guilt in his eyes. "Actually, Shepard, I kinda wanted to talk to you about that."

Shepard nodded. "Go ahead." He knew what James had to say already.

"Well uhh, I kinda have a command now. Got my own platoon." He looked back to Shepard and shrugged. "I think I gotta stay here, commander."

Shepard smiled and took a step forward, putting a hand on Vega's shoulder. "Congratulations, James. If you don't deserve it I don't know who does."

Vega's face uplifted to the cocky smile he often wore. "You think you can handle yourself without me? I mean hell, you can't count on Garrus. He's limping like an old man."

Garrus sighed and shook his head. "It'll only be a few more days, thank you."

Shepard stepped back and saluted Vega again. James saluted and smiled. "Thanks, Loco. I had a hell of a time under your command."

"It was a pleasure having you, James. If you ever need me to put in a good word for a promotion you know how to find me."

Vega chuckled and shrugged. "I think I need a little more time in a normal unit before I go looking for a promotion, sir, but thanks. I'll keep that in mind." James looked around the room to the crew, all still busy with their own engagements. "Well... I've already said my goodbyes. I should probably head back out and link up with my platoon."

Shepard nodded, giving him a pat on the shoulder and Garrus held out his hand and the two gave each other a tight shake. James turned and gave a wave and one last goodbye to the room which was reciprocated with smiles and goodbyes from Liara, Chakwas and Kaidan. Javik merely nodded in acknowledgment. As James turned to leave Javik left his corner and approached Shepard as he stood with Garrus.

"Commander." Javik remained as icy as usual.

"Javik. Glad to see you're still around." Shepard tried his best to show his appreciation without doing so in a way that Javik would mock or dismiss as foolish.

"My purpose to avenge my people will exist as long as Reapers still roam the galaxy." He stared intently to Shepard. "There are increasingly less enemies here on Earth. When do we leave." Even when asking a question it felt as though Javik was issuing a command.

Shepard glanced toward Garrus who immediately turned his head and took a few steps away in an attempt to have as little to do with the conversation as possible. "Well, we don't have our orders yet. I have some business to take care of with the Council before we do anything else."

Javik shook his head. "I will not sit idly while you attempt to save your galactic government. I will stay here and continue fighting. Contact me if we are to leave and fight on another world or do not contact me at all." With that Javik promptly turned and left the room.

Shepard shook his head and glanced back to Garrus who twitched his mandibles and shrugged. "Well it's not like he's going to be doing us any favors sitting on the Normandy complaining."

The commander sighed. "I guess you're right."

Shepard turned to the table where Liara, Chakwas and Kaidan sat. Liara and Chakwas had stopped talking and begun watching Shepard at some point and both smirked in amusement at Javik's course of action. Kaidan tapped the power button on his datapad and stood up, walking over to the group.

"So are we headed back to the Normandy or what?" Kaidan crossed his arms and donned his familiar half-grin.

Shepard looked to each of his four companions and smiled. "I guess we might as well head back. I could use an hour or two of rest."

Liara grinned as she and Chakwas stood. "Just a couple, though. You wouldn't want to sleep through this little meeting you have soon."

The team formed up around Shepard, ready to move out. "After everything they put us through I'm not going to feel guilty if they have to wait on me." Shepard smiled to his friends and turned to lead them out.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Holy mother of dialogue, Batman! Hope you enjoyed the read this week... it took a bit longer than I was anticipating. And looks like next week Shepard will finally get this Council meeting out of the way... WHO DOESN'T LIKE READING ABOUT BUREAUCRACY?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Commander Shepard stared through the skylight that hung above his bed, his eyelids struggling to remain open.

"It's so easy to tell when you're anxious."

Liara's voice caressed his ears as it drifted over from the couch. The asari wore a gray nightgown lined with a black trim and held a datapad at her side, having paused whatever work she was finishing up before she would be content to sleep. Shepard let out a long, deep sigh and shifted his gaze from the ceiling to Liara.

"Is that so?" Shepard pushed himself up to a sitting position, leaning his back against the headboard of his bed.

Liara smiled and set her tablet down before rising to her feet and coming to sit next to him on the sheets. "You can save the galaxy three times over... but you have trouble sleeping before a meeting with the Council."

Shepard chuckled and shrugged. "Well to be fair I didn't sleep well before Ilos either... or the Omega 4 relay... or Cronos..."

Liara placed her hand on his cheek. "Like I said. It's easy to tell when you're anxious."

He looked to her and returned her smile. Shepard leaned toward her and planted a gentle kiss upon her forehead before digging his elbows into the mattress and sliding back into the position he had been laying in previously, resuming his gaze through the skylight. Liara brought herself down next to him, laying on her back as she stared into the black abyss as well.

"You've talked to the Council before... why are you so worried now, Shepard?"

The commander remained silent as he contemplated the question. It was certainly a legitimate one. "I'm not quite sure. I've made a lot of decisions that the Council didn't approve of. I doubt those decisions will be a small factor in the summit."

Liara gently took his hand. "What's been done is done. And whether they look upon your actions with disdain or praise is irrelevant given what you've accomplished with them."

Shepard smiled softly at her words and rolled his head to the side, looking to her eyes. "Thanks, Liara. I hope they feel the same way."

Liara looked back to him and grinned. "Me too. But they _are_ politicians. They're going to have something to complain about."

* * *

Joker hummed quietly to himself as he set the Normandy on an approach vector to the Citadel. He had seen a few vids of the station already and he could tell that the destruction was far less severe than it had been after Sovereign's assault. Even so, he was eager to get onto the station personally and see the rebuilding process for himself. Suddenly an unfamiliar male voice rang out from the communications console.

"_SSV Normandy this is Citadel Control, please transmit all security clearance packets." _

"We're having a great day, thanks for asking." Joker released the button that had opened his mic and glanced over to EDI who had already finished transmitting the data. "How hard is it to hire somebody that sounds happy to talk to you?"

"_Cleared. Please proceed to docking bay D-24. Welcome back to the Citadel, SSV Normandy."_

Joker's cocky smirk returned to his face as he kicked the Normandy into gear and piloted the craft toward her standard berth. As the ship passed into the open arms of the Citadel a set of footsteps approached the cockpit. Shepard, standing in his full dress uniform, halted behind Joker and put a hand on his chair, leaning into it as he looked out the forward viewports. He caught a glimpse of Earth through the Citadel's extended arms.

Joker glanced over his shoulder. "Wow, full dress, huh? I don't know if I've ever seen you in the full getup, commander."

Shepard shifted uneasily and glanced back down to Joker. "Well if I'm representing humanity I might as well look presentable."

"Fair enough." Joker slowly brought the Normandy in to the docking bay and began the auto-docking sequence.

Shepard straightened himself up and ran a hand down his sleeve. "Well here goes nothing. Someone enjoy their shore leave for me because I don't think I will."

Joker's chair spun to face Shepard as he prepared to leave. "Oh don't worry about that one Shepard. I've already got my dancing leg-braces set out."

Shepard rolled his eyes in amusement and turned to the airlock. He tapped the disembarkation sequence on the control panel and stepped inside. The familiar hiss and mist of decontamination proceeded before the hatch finally opened and Shepard was able to step onto the Citadel. He looked down to the floor and smiled. Shepard began his walk through the relatively empty docking terminal only to stop at the sound of an unusual click. He turned and scanned the seating and viewing area. Just as he had dismissed the noise and begun to resume his walk a voice rang out from the rafters above him.

"Boy, Shep, you're looking rather sharp!"

Shepard looked up to see the dark hooded figure and unmistakable, devious grin of Kasumi leaning against a support column some fifteen feet above him. "Well, Ms. Goto, I've actually got an event I'm attending that requires a certain level of class."

Shepard grinned as Kasumi gracefully leapt down from her perch with a quiet 'oomph' and stood before him. "I think I was there the last time you had to wear something this fancy. Didn't that turn a little... violent near the end?"

"If you're implying that a gunship might try to mow me down at a Council summit..."

"No implications at all, Shep! But you can't deny that you do have an uncanny knack for attracting unwanted gunfire." Kasumi crossed her arms, still grinning.

Shepard chuckled lightly and shook his head. "You know me too well, Kasumi." He nodded toward the elevator. "I'm headed to the Council chambers for a meeting. Got time to walk with me?"

"Well I had time to stalk you up until now, didn't I?" Kasumi turned and walked toward the elevator doors, Shepard hurrying to catch up and walk at her side. "A meeting with the Council, huh? Sounds important!"

"Right now I'm hoping the importance is being blown out of proportion." The doors to the lift opened automatically as Shepard and Kasumi approached them. "I've had plenty of meetings with the Council and I'm sure you don't want to hear about the boring details of this one. I'd rather talk about why you were stalking me."

The thief and soldier entered the elevator car and Shepard tapped a button on the control console. Kasumi leaned against the back wall casually and defensively crossed her arms. "What? A girl can't keep tabs on old friends? Very precise and particular tabs?"

Shepard raised an unamused brow and Kasumi laughed, shaking her head. "Relax, Shep. I just wanted to catch you before you blasted off on another great adventure. I... I want to get your opinion on something."

The elevator chimed and the car came to a stop, the doors sliding apart to reveal the Citadel Tower. Various scorch and explosion marks on the normally light and pristine walls and floor made it obvious to any passerby that a significant gunfight had occurred recently. Shepard was impressed that C-Sec had seemingly managed to keep the tower out of the hands of Reaper forces. The two exited the elevator and began a slow paced walk up the fights of stairs leading to the Council's chambers.

"Well? I'm listening." Shepard looked over to Kasumi with a smile.

Kasumi let out a soft sigh. "I got a... job offer. Some people in the Alliance kept a deserved eye on me while I worked gathering information on the Crucible. Apparently they were impressed."

"A job offer, huh? You're gonna have to be more specific than that." Shepard smirked as they slowly ascended toward their destination.

"Well... let's just say it's in the field of espionage." Kasumi looked to Shepard with uncertainty. "Do you think I should do it? I mean... a big paycheck and loose interpretation of the law sounds pretty nice."

Shepard stopped and turned to Kasumi as they reached the top of the stairs. "If you think it'll make you happy I don't see why not. Did you have other plans in mind?"

Kasumi shrugged and averted her gaze almost bashfully. "Well... there was one thing I thought might be nice. A lot of places that held precious valuables are in ruins now. I think galaxy could use someone with the skills to retrieve them."

Shepard smirked. "So you want to be a treasure hunter?"

"If you want to make it sound trivial, then sure," Kasumi retorted.

"I was only joking, Kasumi. That sounds like a fantastic idea."

Kasumi's lips curled back into her nearly persistent beaming smile. "You think so? I mean... there's so much that needs to be done to get the galaxy back on track. I don't want you to think I'm just fooling around when there's work to be done."

"There are a lot of people that don't have a place to go home to. Entire planetary populations. Recovering something they once held dear might give them some much needed hope."

Kasumi nodded. "Thanks Shep. I think I've made up my mind." Kasumi held out her hand. "Good luck in your meeting, _Councilor_."

Shepard let out a groan and took her hand, shaking softly. "If no one ever calls me that again I can die a happy man."

"Heh, fair enough, Shepard."

He smiled as he released her hand. "Don't be a stranger, Kasumi."

Kasumi gave a Shepard a playful wink just before a ripple appeared around her and swept her out of sight with a blink. Her voice rang out from invisibility, the sound drifting down the stairs they had climbed. "I'll be sure to write! Now quit procrastinating and get to your meeting!"

* * *

The commander entered the Council chamber feeling a sense of elation that seeing a good friend always brought. The speaking platform appeared empty. As did most of the hall. As he observed the empty chambers he could hear an approaching figure from his side. Shepard turned to see an unarmed turian C-Sec officer come to a stop and salute.

"Greetings, Councilor Shepard. I am Sergeant Varin Callurnis. It's an honor to meet you." The officer had a sense of professionalism about him that often showed in turians, especially those in uniform.

Shepard mentally winced at the 'Councilor' title but returned the greeting with a smile. "The honor is mine, Sergeant."

The turian nodded once in acknowledgment. "The Council meeting will be held in the private chambers. If you would follow me I will escort you there."

Shepard nodded and the two set off toward the many offices that surrounded the main chamber. "I wasn't aware the Council had private meeting chambers."

Sergeant Callurnis nodded once again. "They are reserved for exceptional instances. In this case the Council would rather meet in private given your temporary membership."

The commander followed Callurnis up a set of stairs and around a corner to a nondescript hallway. "It's nice to know they're not setting their hopes on my permanent tenure."

The two reached a door at the end of the hallway and Sergeant Callurnis leaned forward, allowing a retinal scanner to quickly authenticate his identity. The door chimed softly and parted to reveal an office of similar style to those of the embassies with a large meeting table in the center of the room. A floor to ceiling window spanned the entire length of the far wall, offering a view of the arms of the Citadel stretching out from the station's center ring. Shepard took a few steps into the room with Callurnis sealing the door behind him.

The asari councilor, Tevos, sat at the rectangular table at the center of the room tapping away at a datapad. She looked up as Shepard entered and quickly diverted her attention to him. "Councilor Shepard, you're right on time." The asari stood and made her way to meet him.

Councilor Sparatus, the turian, was also seated as Shepard entered and followed closely behind Tevos as she approached him. The salarian, Valern, was talking on a personal communicator by the window but quickly ended his conversation and joined his colleagues. The three veteran council members stood across from Shepard silently for a moment before Tevos bowed her head honorably.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Shepard." As Tevos spoke Sparatus and Valern mimicked her bow to a lesser degree.

Shepard, slightly unsure, bowed his head in return. "It's an honor to be here, Lady Councilor."

Councilor Sparatus chuckled. "No need for formalities, Shepard. We're out of the public eye to ensure you don't have to deal with that pressure."

The commander smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Councilor Sparatus. I wasn't expecting that kind of consideration."

"The Council would also like to personally thank you, Shepard." Tevos smiled softly as she spoke. "We and the rest of the galaxy owe you more than we could ever repay."

Valern grunted and crossed his arms. "Yes, well. We have a meeting to attending to, haven't we?"

Councilor Tevos glanced to Valern with a look of slight irritation before nodding and turning to the table behind them. "I suppose so. We have important issues to discuss."

The three males followed her to the table and situated themselves around it evenly. Sparatus cleared his throat and nodded toward the asari. "I believe the Council agreed on having Tevos lead the summit. Shepard, do you object?"

Shepard shook his head and shrugged. "Just proceed as you'd planned. I assume you know more about this process than I do."

Tevos nodded and slid a finger across her datapad. "Right then. We only have a few issues we'd like to discuss with you, Shepard. The first and foremost is that of the permanent human councilor position. After the affair with Councilor Udina your embassy appointed a temporary member by the name of Dominic Osoba."

Shepard put his hand to his lip ponderously and slowly nodded. "The name is familiar. I think I've heard it around."

Sparatus gave a nod. "He has served admirably so far. With you and your embassy's permission we would like to induct him as a permanent member of the Council."

Shepard tried his best to hide his relief. "If you think he's doing a good job then you have my support. May I ask why he's not here?"

Tevos nodded and made a few quick taps on her datapad as she took notes. "Of course. We have important issues to discuss with you specifically."

Councilor Valern immediately spoke after Tevos had finished her statement. "And a single representative from each race is a core principle of the Citadel Council."

"Understandable." Shepard looked around the table. Tevos had finished her notes and was now waiting to speak once more.

"Well, if that is settled we should move along to the second issue." Tevos sat across from the window, looking out to the Citadel arms as she spoke. "The Council is debating the course of action to take regarding the Citadel itself." She shifted her gaze back to her peers. "Given the station's recent relocation there are many politicians, some in this room, who believe the seat of the Council should be moved."

Valern quickly interjected as her thought came to a close. "The very appeal of the Citadel as a hub of governance was due to its isolation from any civilized homewords."

Shepard quickly cut off Valern before he could continue. "Do we know how the Reapers were able to transport the Citadel so quickly?"

Sparatus sighed and shook his head. "We are currently investigating their methods. At this point we only have the ability to make sub-FTL, inner-system adjustments."

"What are the options you're considering?" Shepard looked to Tevos.

"There has been suggestion of moving the Council's seat to a colony world, perhaps one untouched by the Reaper invasion." Tevos eyed Shepard curiously for his reaction.

"With all due respect, councilors, the Citadel is a valuable asset. It has stood as a symbol and center for galactic civilization for too long to be simply abandoned. Have you considered using the local navigation to relocate the station near the Charon Relay?" Shepard glanced around the table, worried he might be speaking more than was anticipated of him.

Sparatus nodded with consideration. "We had discussed it. It does mean, of course, that many people will assume the Alliance has a responsibility to protect the Citadel."

"Does the Alliance not already hold that responsibility?" Shepard perked a brow. "If the station is confined to the Sol System for the foreseeable future the Alliance is going to be protecting it just by virtue of the location."

Councilor Tevos nodded. "What you say is true, though this responsibility is still technically unofficial. We have decided that if the Council is to remain in the Sol System, it would be in our best interest for the Alliance to donate a substantial force for amalgamation with the Citadel Fleet."

His fellow councilors looked to Shepard for a response that took a brief moment to prepare. "In the after-action report I read concerning the battle it appeared as though the bulk of the Citadel Fleet was still intact..."

Sparatus leaned forward, his fingers lacing together. "Shepard you've been to Palaven, Sur'Kesh and Thessia. Our people _need_ those ships in their home systems working relief if we ever want to rebuild our homeworlds."

"Please, Shepard. Humanity has proved itself to be a loyal and generous member of Council governance." Councilor Tevos paused briefly. "This act can only strengthen galactic stability."

Commander Shepard took a deep breath and shook his head. "I'm not in charge, you know. The final approval will have to come from Alliance brass." He let out a sigh and nodded. "But I'll see what I can do. The galaxy needs the foundation that the Citadel provides."

Valern spoke kindly for the first time since Shepard had arrived. "Thank you, Shepard... we are aware how much the Council has asked from you and humanity."

"Humanity has just as much interest in the well-being of the galaxy as we do in ourselves." Shepard turned his attention to Tevos. "I'll contact Admiral Hackett after the meeting and see what I can do."

"Excellent. We will discuss and work on the amalgamation process with Councilor Osoba." The asari tapped away at her datapad once more. "Our last point of interest is that of galactic security." Tevos gave a sideways glance to Shepard as she spoke.

Shepard had anticipated the pleasantries to be stripped away eventually.

Tevos turned her full attention to Shepard. "The Council cannot and will not deny what you have accomplished in your service to the galaxy, Shepard. We are also willing to admit that we were tragically wrong in our dismissal of the Reapers. However, we cannot ignore some of your recent actions."

Councilor Sparatus spoke up with a tone of accusation. "Shepard our intelligence indicates that you personally enabled the geth in achieving true intelligence."

"And a cure to the genophage? Shepard, the salarian people understand that the ends often justify the means, but unleashing the krogan horde? Madness." Valern spoke with a potent mixture of fear and anger.

Shepard attempted to subdue his irritation as he responded. "Excuse me, councilors, but considering the hoops you forced me to jump through in order to save this damned galaxy I think I deserve some trust in my decisions."

"No one is doubting your intentions, Shepard." Councilor Tevos spoke calmly, attempting to ease the rising tensions. "But on a historic basis I don't think it's unfair for the Council to challenge your judgment."

"Well unfortunately doubting my judgment can't change what has already been done. The geth and krogan have earned the chance to redeem themselves. They cooperated in the fight against the Reapers and they'll cooperate in the reconstruction." Shepard looked around the table with fierce determination in his eyes.

Valern narrowed his brow. "And what makes you so sure of this?"

Shepard met Valern's gaze with his own and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Because now they have leadership."

"The geth have never required 'leadership' to function cohesively. That doesn't change with intelligence," Sparatus chimed in.

Tevos sighed and raised her voice to quiet her colleagues. "Councilors, please." She looked around the table as the three others quieted down. "Shepard is right. There is nothing that can be done short of full scale war to reverse his actions. And the Goddess knows the galaxy does not need more war."

"We need to keep tabs on them," Valern stated bluntly.

Shepard let out a light sigh and sat forward. "Let me go to them first. The last thing they want is a Council investigation team showing up and knocking down their doors."

Tevos eyed Shepard curiously. "And by, 'going to them,' you would..?"

"Make sure they're on the right path. Show them that just because the Reapers are gone doesn't mean our solidarity has to go with them." Shepard looked to each of the fellow councilors, waiting for one to reject his offer.

Tevos looked to Valern and Sparatus, the latter two giving a begrudging nod. The asari turned back to Shepard, straightening up before she spoke. "Alright, Shepard. If you can visit the homeworlds and report your findings we will take them to heart no matter their implications. However I also believe the council should appoint a committee to observe geth and krogan actions following your own investigation."

The commander nodded in agreement. "Fine. So long as the committee doesn't overstep their authority."

"The Council will respect the rights of the geth and krogan," Sparatus pledged, "You have our word."

Valern reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Fine, fine. But if evidence arises implicating malicious intent from either group we _cannot_ ignore it."

Tevos began tapping away at her datapad. "Agreed." She finished her notes and looked around the table. "If there are no other issues, councilors, that brings us to the end of our meeting."

The four councilors looked to each other and, upon seeing no objections, stood and converged at the end of the table. They each exchanged small bows and parting pleasantries between one another.

Shepard looked down at the dress uniform he donned, eager to change back into his casual fatigues. He turned his attention to Councilor Tevos as she began to address him. "Shepard, the Council thanks you for your presence and cooperation."

The commander smiled and looked to each of the councilors as he spoke. "Honestly it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I'll be sure to contact Admiral Hackett immediately."

"Thank you, Commander Shepard." Shepard smiled a bit more as Sparatus once again referred to him by his rank. "And please contact us once you have reached Tuchanka and Rannoch."

"Of course." Shepard nodded once more to the councilors. "If we have nothing further to discuss..."

"You're free to go, commander," Tevos said.

Shepard turned as he was dismissed and walked to the exit. The door slid apart automatically as he approached it allowing him to begin his walk down the long hallway. As he walked his personal communicator chimed softly and he glanced to the screen which now displayed a message from Kaidan.

_Hey Shepard, meet me at the Spectre offices if you have a second._

Commander Shepard closed his comm and set a new mental waypoint as he continued his walk out of the Council offices. He had assumed going into the meeting that he would walk out with another assignment one way or another. He was still a Spectre, after all. However, he was looking forward to this one; Tuchanka and Rannoch were waiting. And so were a few other locations of personal interest.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well there we are. I probably should have waited until I was less exhausted to proof-read/edit but whatever! Feel free to leave a review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Shepard tapped away at his omnitool as he exited the elevator. He had recorded a short briefing of the next mission and was sending the message to EDI along with instructions to schedule any refueling and supply stocking to be done by the end of the day. He lowered his hand and continued on the short walk to the Spectre offices.

As Commander Shepard approached the doors the numerous security protocols began scanning him automatically. As the full body scanner halted a voice announced that Shepard had cleared security and the doors promptly opened. There was an unusual amount of activity in the lobby of the offices; Shepard could only name a single person in the room. Among the collection of strange faces Kaidan Alenko stood accessing one of the secure terminals. The commander made his way across the room, receiving more than a couple of nods or salutes.

"I see you're taking the new Spectre position seriously. No time for shore leave?"

Kaidan glanced to his side as Shepard turned and leaned against the wall next to him. "Heh, well I've had some business to take care of here for a while now. I was a little busy while we were saving the galaxy."

"I'm going to guess a little late paperwork is excusable given the circumstances," Shepard quipped.

"So how'd the meeting go? I didn't expect you to be out of there for a few hours at least." Kaidan finished the sentence he was typing and turned to Shepard.

"It went... pretty well," Shepard admitted, "And I've already got a new assignment."

Kaidan paused momentarily. "Which is?"

"The Council wants me to visit Tuchanka and Rannoch. Make sure everything is... going smoothly."

"Hmm... and I assume you'll be taking the Normandy for this endeavor?"

Shepard eyed him curiously. "I was planning on it. Why do you ask?"

Kaidan motioned toward the console he had been working at. "I just accepted an assignment that might fit perfectly with your's."

"Enlighten me."

Kaidan turned back to the console, Shepard doing the same and looking to the mission summary Kaidan had brought back onto the screen. "We don't know much, but it looks like a lot of funds from the remnants of Cerberus are being funneled into an unidentified program on Horizon."

Shepard let out a sigh. "That place just can't catch a break, can it?"

"Well you keep showing up there. What did you expect?" Kaidan grinned. "I accepted the mission to provide initial recon. If the Normandy is going on an intelligence gathering cruise I could use the lift."

Shepard looked to Kaidan with a smile. "I think we can manage that. I had a few stops outside of Tuchanka and Rannoch in mind anyway."

Kaidan nodded and tapped the screen, setting the console to sleep. "Thanks, Shepard. I'd actually called you down to let you know I might have to be leaving."

"Sorry, Alenko. Looks like you're stuck with me for just a little while longer."

"I think I'll manage." Kaidan smiled and nodded toward the exit. "Let's grab some lunch."

* * *

Shepard sat quietly on a bench overlooking one of the many lakes that decorated the center of the Citadel's arms. As he glanced down to his omnitool to check the time a soft hand came to rest on his shoulder.

Liara leaned over the back of the bench, whispering into his ear, "Sorry I'm late."

Shepard smiled as Liara rounded the seat and sat next to him. "I think I can forgive you this time."

"Holding together this information network is no small feat." Liara let out a relaxed sigh as she closed her eyes, resting her head on Shepard's shoulder. "How was your meeting?"

"Well you were right about them having something to complain about." He paused for a moment. "I've got a new assignment."

Liara opened her eyes and sat up, giving him a curious look. "Shepard... you don't have to-"

Shepard shook his head. "I do, Liara. It's something I need to do. I want to."

"What is it?"

"I'm going to Rannoch and Tuchanka. The Council is worried about what might come from... well, some of my recent decisions. I want to be sure they're on the right path."

Liara smiled and cupped his cheek gently in the palm of her hand. "You never stop thinking about others, do you?"

Shepard shrugged lightly. "I just-"

"Shh... you don't need to explain. It's what makes you a leader. It's why so many people sacrificed so much to help you. They know you would do the same for them." She leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I hope you aren't expecting to do this alone."

Shepard smiled as the two looked back out over the lake. "Well I know I'll have at least one person with me." He took her hand and squeezed gently.

"And the others?"

"I'll worry about that after I take care of some of my more pressing issues." Shepard groaned lightly.

Liara smirked. "So galactic peace _isn't_ your most pressing issue?"

"Somehow I have to convince the Alliance to hand over an entire fleet worth of ships to the Citadel."

Liara blinked and turned to Shepard with a look of utter bemusement. "... What?"

He glanced back to her with nostalgic grin. "Remember when all we had to do was shoot the bad guys?"

Liara smiled in return. "I don't think it was ever that easy, Shepard."

* * *

"Hey, hold the airlock!" Garrus shouted as he limped (notably less than he had the day earlier) through the lobby of docking bay D24.

Liara reached over and held down a button on the console as Garrus caught up to her and Shepard. The turian slowed down as he approached the open doors and stepped onto the Normandy. He nodded in thanks to his friends as Liara engaged the decontamination sequence.

"_Standby, decontamination in progress," _chimed EDI's voice.

"You're looking a bit more spry than you did yesterday, Garrus." Shepard slapped the turian on his heavily armored shoulder.

"And you're looking a bit more..." Garrus looked up and down the full dress uniform Shepard had yet to change out of. "Is there a word that means uncomfortable _and _ridiculous?"

Liara's face turned sour and she crossed her arms indignantly. "That's rather insulting to the human military, Garrus. I think he looks rather refined. Elegant, even."

Shepard chuckled lightly and shook his head. "No, he's right. I'd rather be in armor or casuals. This is just too restrictive."

"Exactly. Though you do know you're supposed to agree with _her_, right?" Garrus clicked his mandibles in amusement.

"_Decontamination complete, welcome aboard."_

The inner door slid apart, letting Shepard, Liara and Garrus step aboard the relatively empty Normandy. A few crew members sat at their positions in the CIC, but Joker, EDI's analog, Traynor and the majority of the crew appeared to be ashore or in the crew's quarters.

Garrus cleared his throat and tapped Shepard on the shoulder as they began their way down the neck of the Normandy. "Hey, Shepard, mind if we talk for a minute?"

Shepard glanced to Liara as she nodded. "I'll be in my office. I'm just about done with a big project."

"Thanks." Shepard smiled and watched briefly as she turned and headed toward the elevator. He looked back to Garrus with a grin. "Couldn't let me change out of this outfit first, huh?"

"You really shouldn't have told me how uncomfortable it is. Now I'm just going to talk your ear off."

He laughed and nodded toward the bow. Shepard and Garrus walked back toward the empty cockpit and leaned against either side of the bulkhead.

"So I, uh, decided to follow up on that whole... Spectre candidacy thing." Garrus played cool and crossed his arms. "Turns out I'm pretty high on their list."

"Three tours on the Normandy and the best marksmanship records I've ever seen might have helped with that." Shepard was glad Garrus had finally received some recognition for his service. He had always worried that his own reputation might overshadow his turian comrade.

"Let's not forget the fact that I was heading the initial investigation on Saren. A Spectre has to be keen as well, you know." Garrus cocked his head back slightly, clearly proud of his achievements.

"They'd be lucky to have to have you in their ranks," Shepard replied sincerely.

"Well for the time being they're not going to. I turned them down."

Shepard raised a brow, intrigued. "And why is that?"

Garrus paused and considered his words. "I... it's not the right time. Not yet. I've got some personal matters to attend to. I've got a family to check up on and... well... when you walked in on Tali and me... let's just say that wasn't the first time I got my mandible caught on her mask."

The commander smiled and looked down, nodding.

"But as I said... I've got some personal matters. It looks like I'm going to have to find some transport to Palaven and Rannoch..."

Shepard glanced back up. "And what makes you think you're not standing on that transport right now?"

The turian's eyes brightened slightly. "What are you saying, Shepard?"

Shepard stood up from leaning against the wall and took a step toward Garrus. "I've got a new assignment and it just happens to be taking me to Rannoch. However, we do have a few stops to make along the way. Might even bump heads with Cerberus again." He grinned and held out a hand. "You in?"

Garrus straightened up and eyed Shepard suspiciously. "Is that some kind of question?" He grabbed hold of Shepard's hand and shook it firmly just once. "I'm always on board, Shepard."

* * *

Commander Shepard stood at the doorway to the comm room in a fresh set of casual fatigues. Shepard was not looking forward to the coming conversation with Admiral Hackett. He stepped forward, just out of reach of the console, and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He approached the holo screen and sent the request for a private conference with Admiral Hackett.

"_I could have sent the request for you, Shepard," _EDI's disembodied voice stated.

The commander watched as the word 'Pending' pulsated softly on the screen before him. "I know. Didn't I request a _private_ call to Admiral Hackett?" He glanced up with a smirk.

"_My apologies, Shepard. I will not monitor the comm room until your call is complete." _

Even though Shepard had been mostly joking he was relieved that he wouldn't have an audience. The icon next to Admiral Hackett's name switched to 'Standby'. Shepard cleared his throat and straightened his stance, taking one last long breath as the word 'Connected' appeared and the image of Admiral Hackett snapped into view before him in a flash of blue static.

"Commander Shepard! I see you survived the meeting." Admiral Hackett smiled as he spoke. A rare sight, Shepard thought to himself.

"Yes, sir. And the best part is they don't want me coming back." Shepard grinned and crossed his arms. He was thankful that Hackett had eased the tension.

"I told you they wouldn't. I think the Council got sour on military leaders serving with them after Anderson stepped up a kicked them in the ass one to many times," Hackett said proudly.

Shepard froze as Hackett spoke Anderson's name. He stumbled into his words as he attempted to maintain his composure. "Admiral... I can't believe I haven't asked yet. Did they recover Anderson's body?"

Hackett's face sunk into a solemn expression as he nodded in reply. "Don't worry, commander. You've had a lot to deal with the past couple days. The Normandy recovered him when they extracted you. His body is being held on the SSV Mandela."

"I assume he'll have a burial?"

The admiral sighed. "Eventually. There's going to be a hell of a memorial ground and cemetery for this war, Shepard. I'll be making sure David Anderson's plot is right in the center."

Shepard looked down, his nervousness having been completely replaced with a sinking sadness. "Just let me know when the service is held."

"Of course, commander. It won't be too soon, though. We have a lot of ground to secure on Earth. And then the colonies." Admiral Hackett straightened up. "My apologies, Shepard. I didn't mean to derail your call."

The commander nodded and straightened as well. "No apologies needed, admiral." Shepard paused, unsure of how to proceed. "I guess there's no more stalling. Sir, one of the topics the Council and I discussed was the Citadel's relocation to our system."

Hackett nodded. "I expected as much."

"And it seems the Citadel won't be leaving Sol anytime soon. Because of that... I had to convince the Council not to relocate."

"Well of course. The Citadel is the only thing in this damned galaxy still standing." Hackett eyed Shepard closely. He could tell something was amiss.

"However... we all agreed that if the Citadel is to remain in the Sol System... the Alliance should assume the responsibility of Citadel space security. The Council has requested a force to bolster the Citadel Fleet." Shepard hoped the request had not come off as a command.

Hackett lowered his voice slightly. "How many ships are we talking, Shepard?"

Shepard shook his head. "They weren't specific with numbers. I'm guessing a full fleet."

"The Council knows damned well we don't have any 'full' fleets. We've already begun consolidation... Third Fleet has been phased in with First." Hackett brought his hand up to rest on his chin as he considered the course of action. "This is a big request, Shepard. And the last thing I want is the turian hierarchy thinking that humanity is trying to force them out of their role as keepers of the peace."

"The rest of the Citadel Fleet will return in time, but right now they need a sense of security." Shepard took a step forward, his charisma beginning to get the better of him. "Think about the implications here, sir. This is a huge step for galactic unification."

Admiral Hackett nodded in affirmation. "I know, Shepard. You're right. It'll be a tough sell, but if we're both backing the motion I think I can get it done." He looked to the side and began thinking aloud. "The Seventh Fleet is still in good shape. It's the smallest and doesn't contain many of our newest classes of cruisers or frigates. And the crews... what about the crews..."

Shepard cleared his throat. "I'm sure the Citadel Fleet Command would appreciate as many human crewmen as they can get. Do you think the Alliance would be willing to ask for volunteers to transfer to the Citadel Fleet?"

Hackett shook his head and turned his attention back to Shepard. "We'll figure it out, Shepard. I know you like to handle things yourself but you don't need to organize a fleet amalgamation. My ranking is where we take care of the boring stuff."

Shepard nodded. "Fair enough, Admiral."

"Any other _small_ news?" Admiral Hackett jabbed.

The commander smiled. "Just a little. I've got a recon assignment from the Council. I was hoping the Alliance could spare me command of the Normandy one last time."

"Of course, commander. I think you're on a roll with that command. I'd hate to be the one to end it."

"Thank you, sir. That's all I have to report."

Admiral Hackett snapped to salute position. "I'll keep you posted on the fleet situation. Hackett out."

Shepard returned the salute and terminated the call. As he turned to leave through the War Room he glanced down to his omnitool; the designated shore leave was just about over. He stopped as he reached the conference room and looked up.

"EDI... can you ping Javik's omnitool for me?" He inquired.

"_His omnitool is active. Do you wish for me to establish a comm link?" _EDI sounded as though she was not fond of the idea.

"Yes, please. Route it into the conference room." Shepard stepped up to the table and leaned forward, staring out the window to the Citadel as he waited.

A crackle sounded around Shepard that was soon followed by Javik's voice. _"Reporting."_

"Javik, you told me to contact you if we leave the system. I just thought I would let you know we're leaving in a few hours." Shepard certainly didn't sound enthusiastic. "You've still got a place in the squad if you'd like to join us."

The prothean stayed silent for a few moments. _"Good. I am tired of this primitive planet."_

Shepard did his best to not roll his eyes. "Alright, I'll send Cortez down to extract you. Send him your coordinates."

"_Understood,"_ Javik stated flatly before cutting the comm.

EDI quickly chimed in, _"I was worried this mission might go smoothly."_

Shepard chuckled and made is way out of the conference room. "Don't worry about that, EDI. We'll find a fight somewhere."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Looks like the mission is about to kick off. I'm excited. Are you excited? I'm excited.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Joker quickly glanced over his navigation screen as the Normandy began its approach on the Charon Relay, pulling the ship into the approach vector with ease. The Normandy's systems identified the relay as the ship closed in on it rapidly and the drive core monitor immediately prepared all propulsion systems for the jump. The ship raced adjacent to the enormous eezo core and in a fraction of a second was accelerated hundreds of time past the speed of light and into a safe jump.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Normandy has left the system. We are en route to Tuchanka," Joker commented over the Normandy's ship-wide comm.

"All systems check normal, Jeff." EDI's body stared through the viewport in front of her, clearly not using her analog eyes.

Joker tapped two buttons on the control panel and spun his chair around. "Well I hope they stay that way for a few minutes. I need some coffee." He stood and stretched his tired back.

EDI's body stood from her seat and stepped next to him. "I will accompany you to the mess hall."

"Great, we can get you a glass of robo-water or something," Joker remarked sarcastically as he began a cautious walk toward the CIC.

"Very funny." EDI walked with him, smiling. "This mission has me... excited. I wish to observe the progress of quarian and geth relations as well as the krogan reconstruction."

EDI had already called the elevator to the CIC via her own systems and as the two rounded the galaxy map the doors slid open, letting them continue without a pause onto the lift. Joker reached forward and tapped the button labeled "3 – Crew's Quarters" only to narrow his eyes as the button refused to illuminate. He glanced to EDI who grinned mischievously.

"You have got it so easy when it comes to pranking, you know that?" Joker smacked the button again, this time it pinged and the elevator began to descend. "'Ho ho! Wouldn't it just be hilarious to shut down the life support on deck four!'"

"You would do the same if you had access to virtually every subsystem of the Normandy in the fraction of a second," EDI responded with amusement.

"Yeah, yeah."

Joker and EDI stepped out of the elevator as the doors parted on level three and walked into the mess hall. Garrus and Kaidan sat at the corner of the table finishing up their respective meals. Garrus nodded to them and spoke up to Joker.

"Aren't you supposed to be flying the ship?" Garrus raised his glass and took a sip of a foul smelling turian alcohol.

Joker continued on to the kitchen. "You think I can sit at the helm all day without some coffee in my system?"

EDI stopped next to the table as Joker walked on. "He drinks it far too much if you ask me."

Kaidan wiped his mouth with a napkin and chuckled. "He's here for the coffee... you're here for...?"

Joker spoke up from the kitchen as he searched for a thermos. "It seems like she's not content with me being inside her all day. She's gotta be next to me too."

Kaidan and Garrus stopped and glanced to each other with frozen expressions and then back to EDI and Joker as he began pouring himself a large dose of caffeine.

"As in _inside the Normandy,_" Joker quickly added, "You two have filthy minds."

Garrus snickered and downed the last of his drink. "So what's our ETA?"

EDI stood motionless with her hands behind her back. "We are scheduled to arrive in the Aralakh System in approximately eleven galactic standard hours."

Kaidan leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Enough time for a little shut-eye and some paperwork. Just my kind of evening."

Joker hobbled to the table with his fresh thermos. "Hope you all are ready to play with the krogan. I'll be enjoying the reports from the safety of the cockpit."

"I'm going to hope Wrex is running a tight operation," Garrus stated, "Otherwise this trip might turn out a bit more exciting than we were anticipating."

Joker smirked and turned to head back toward the elevator. "Like I said. I can't wait to hear about it over the comm. And give the big guy a hug for me, wouldya?"

* * *

Commander Shepard stepped off of the elevator onto the engineering deck and approached Javik's quarters. The door pinged and opened, indicated it was unlocked, and the commander stepped inside. Javik stood at the far side of the room investigating something on his datapad. He did not bother to avert his gaze as his door opened. Joker's voice suddenly filled the room via the Normandy's public comm.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, the Normandy has left the system. We are en route to Tuchanka."_

Shepard eyed the prothean for a moment before approaching him. "Welcome back, Javik."

Javik looked up from the datapad and nodded. "Commander. We are headed to the krogan homeworld, yes?"

"It's our first stop." Shepard leaned against a workbench nearby.

"Good. The krogan will always seek out the largest battle they can find. I expect we will not be far from it if you wish to contact their leader." Javik powered off his tablet and set it aside.

"Sounds like you're seeking combat as well." The commander crossed his arms.

"Of course I am. I have told you my purpose enough times. I will not repeat it," Javik sneered. Shepard would have taken offense, but by now he realized this was Javik's M.O.

"You really have no other aspirations?" Shepard mentally shook his head. He was wasting his own time.

Javik turned to stare into the black waters behind him. "I recognize that you wish help me acclimate to your time, commander, but your efforts are not needed." He lowered his hands and began to wash them. "The only thing I knew in my time was war. All I know of this time is war. As long as war still exists, I will be there. If someday we exist in a galaxy where peace is the standard then I will consider a new path."

"My cycle lived in a time of peace. Before the Reapers."

Javik scoffed and turned back to Shepard. "If you believe your galaxy was a place of peace just because your homeworld was not burning then you are a fool."

Shepard narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "I don't think our definitions of peace are the same."

"Semantics are irrelevant. True galactic peace is a fallacy and a goal that one can approach but never achieve." Javik stared intently to the commander. "You of all people should know that an attempt for peace can only be achieved through war."

The commander sighed. "I know there's no convincing _you _otherwise."

"Your cycle has achieved something that no other before it has. I will fight as long as I must to ensure it does not squander this opportunity."

Shepard leaned his head slightly. "I thought you just cared about the vengeance of your own cycle."

"Do you have anything else to say, commander?" Javik inquired, ignore the remark.

"No. I don't. I'll have EDI let you know when we're close to Tuchanka." Shepard turned and headed to the door.

* * *

Commander Shepard glanced down to his omnitool as he made his way through the CIC to the bridge. The screen indicated that the diagnostic on his armor and shielding was complete and all systems were optimal. He smiled confidently; it always felt good to be in his armor. He had spent about half of the past eleven hours reading through any intel Liara could scrape together from Tuchanka. As he stepped up behind Joker's seat he could see the vast, brown expanse of the krogan homeworld growing ever closer in the viewport. Joker tapped away at the helm as EDI worked from her own chair.

"EDI, any word from the ground?" Shepard glanced over to the AI.

"Yes, Shepard, I have managed to contact clan Urdnot. I am ready to open a channel with Wrex whenever you are."

The Normandy slowly banked as it approached the planet and pulled itself into an orbit. Shepard nodded to EDI. "Let's do it."

"Affirmative." EDI paused momentarily as she contacted Wrex, waiting for him to accept the comm ping. "Connection established."

Shepard gazed out the window as the Normandy rode the crest of the planet. The expansive, destruction-dotted landscape stretched out for hundreds of miles before slowly curving back out of sight and giving way to the blackness of space.

"Wrex, this is Shepard. Do you copy?" Shepard glanced to the comm panel, waiting for the incoming audio feed to jump to life.

"_Shepard!"_ Wrex's commanding voice boomed around them. _"My friend! I didn't think my scout ships had the right ID on that damned frigate!"_

Shepard grinned. "You'd be so lucky, Wrex."

"_Heh heh!_ _What's the big hero doing so far way from Earth already?"_

"I'm here to see your ugly mug, Wrex. That and check up on this entire species I saved." Shepard smirked to himself.

"_Hah! Fair enough! I'm sending my coordinates now. Might wanna take your shuttle. We're pretty far from any decent spaceports."_

EDI looked to the navigation screen as a set of coordinates on the planet's surface appeared. "The coordinates have been added to the mission log, Shepard."

The commander nodded in thanks to EDI before turning his attention back to Wrex. "We're on our way, Wrex."

"_By the way... I'd suit up and hurry... I don't want you to miss the fun!" _Wrex's tone was a peculiar mix of deviance and excitement.

"Wrex has terminated the call, Shepard," EDI informed them.

Joker glanced over his shoulder. "Well, that didn't sound suspicious or anything."

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "He's got some kind of surprise waiting. EDI, buzz the squad and tell them the shuttle's launching in five."

EDI nodded and glanced over. "Shall I accompany you?"

Shepard shrugged. "Up to you, EDI."

She looked to Joker thoughtfully before turning back to the commander. "I would like to stay here, if that's alright."

"You got it," Shepard replied. "Now if you'll excuse me... I have a ride to catch."

* * *

Shepard, Liara, Javik and Kaidan stood beside the Kodiak checking their weapons as Garrus exited the elevator and hurried toward them.

"Sorry, sorry. Chakwas insisted on checking my leg before the mission." Garrus grabbed his M-97 from the weapon rack as he passed by, doing a quick check of the scope and thermal systems before collapsing it onto his back.

Liara glanced over to the turian with a grin. "I hope you remembered your doctor's note."

Shepard chuckled and turned to the door of the Kodiak, pulling himself up into the dropship. "Let's get moving, people!"

The squad quickly followed behind Shepard and loaded onto the ship. Cortez had already prepped the shuttle for launch and turned the craft around to face the airlock as soon as squad was aboard.

"Normandy this is Cortez. Requesting permission to launch." Cortez tapped away at his helm and stretched his shoulders, ready to fly.

"_Cleared. Airlock door opening. Please enter and prepare to disembark." _

The large doors at the end of the hangar slowly opened and the dropship made its way into the airlock. The doors sealed behind them and red warning lights illuminated around the shuttle before the Normandy proceeded to vent the atmosphere. After a brief moment the external hatch slid open, revealing the inky expanse of space. Cortez waited until the doors had completely parted before kicking the craft into gear and exiting the Normandy. The Kodiak arced gracefully as it began its descent to Tuchanka. In the cockpit the atmospheric readings began filling up a small screen as the shuttle grew closer and closer to the tan surface.

Back in the passenger compartment Shepard glanced to his squadmates. Garrus was busy checking over his armor and weapon systems. He clearly had not had the time before they launched, but Shepard figured he would be fine. Liara stared with wide eyes at the video feed showing the rapidly approaching surface of the planet, her gaze darting across the landscape. Shepard smiled as he watched her inner archaeologist run wild. Javik stood in the corner, as usual, with his arms crossed.

Kaidan stood from his seat and stepped across the compartment to Shepard's side. "So... we're going in combat ready. What are you expecting?"

Shepard glanced over to his fellow Spectre. "Couldn't tell you. I don't think Wrex wanted to spoil the surprise."

"Ah, yeah, great. Well you know I _love_ surprises," Kaidan responded with a grin.

"What's the worst it could be?"

Shepard turned his gaze back to the monitor. The shuttle was rapidly approaching what appeared to be the ruins of a city center. For Tuchanka the ruined buildings that still stood were remarkably tall. One of the largest was at the edge of the group and directly in front of them. As the shuttle rounded the enormous building the squad had a clear view of Wrex's surprise. A reaper destroyer stood in the center of a massive roadway, surrounded by half crumbled superstructures. The Reaper's eye began to follow the dropship as it came into view. Shepard knew what would follow.

"Cortez! Take us below visual range!" Shepard shouted to the cockpit. He looked back to the squad. "Hold on!"

Just as the lieutenant began the course correction a massive beam of red light ignited in front of the shuttle. Cortez rolled hard and brought the ship into a dive, the beam barely missing the body of the Kodiak. The crew held tight as the port thrusters and a few inches of the hull were evaporated by pure heat and warning lights and sirens began to blare. The shuttle shook and thrashed as the starboard engines attempted to compensate for the lack of port side thrust, making Cortez struggle to keep the Kodiak airborne as he scanned for landing zones.

"Sir! I've got an ID on krogan forces about a quarter mile up! I'm gonna try to put her down near them!" Cortez tapped and swiped furiously at the controls as he spoke. "You guys might wanna brace for impact!"

Shepard spun around and pulled himself down into one of the seats, his hands struggling to find and secure the safety latches across his waist and chest.

"Three seconds!" Cortez shouted.

The commander closed his eyes and leaned his head back, taking a deep breath. So far the mission wasn't proceeding _entirely_ as he had planned. He almost had time to laugh at his own naivety before a the sound of crunching and tearing metal filled the cabin.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Sorry about the short chapter this week! Had some pacing issues with the rest of what I had panned for this chapter so I thought this might be a fun place to end it. Luckily I've got a very clear week coming up so the next chapter should be longer and quicker. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Shepard's head rocked slowly from side to side as he floated just on the edge of consciousness. He was actually enjoying the utter silence that surrounded him. Unfortunately as he lifted his chin and coerced his eyes open the full gambit of ear shattering noise came crashing back down onto his head. The sudden influx of noise and light brought him back to reality. As he attempted to gather his balance he realized the shuttle was resting at roughly a fifteen to twenty degree angle with the starboard side pointed up. As he collected himself he quickly jumped to his first priority: check on the status of the squad.

He was seated on the port side bench, a poor choice in hindsight. A small portion of the floor directly beneath his seat and been disintegrated by either the crash or the Reaper itself. Shepard's left boot now rested on a large, invasive slab of concrete. The only illumination in the cabin came from two dim, glowing emergency light strips that lined the ceiling and floor. An emergency siren also pulsed intrusively from the speakers above. The commander recalled that Liara and Kaidan had been on his left on the forward bench with Javik and Garrus on his right. In the dim light be could make out each of their silhouettes. He saw some movement. That was a good sign.

Shepard opened his mouth to speak, only to stop and cough deeply before his voice would cooperate. "Everyone okay?"

"I'm alright." Liara activated her omnitool's flashlight as she responded. Shepard nearly slapped himself for not thinking of that sooner.

"I'm good," Garrus grunted from Shepard's right.

"Nngghh... fine up here..." Cortez shouted from the cockpit. "Might have a broke rib or two, though."

Suddenly a voice chimed in from the speakers in the ceiling. _"Fire detected. Please evacuate the shuttle."_

"I will open the hatch, commander," Javik stated, not bothering to waste time by reporting he was alive.

"Kaidan? Are you alright?" Shepard unstrapped himself and reached for the safety bar on the ceiling.

"_Fire detected. Please evacuate the shuttle."_

"Yeah... yeah I'm okay..." Kaidan raised his hands and began rubbing his temples. "My implants are going crazy..."

A thin sliver of light cut into the smokey cabin as Javik began opening the hatch. A loud clank rang out from the hinges.

"The door is stuck! I need assistance," Javik shouted.

Garrus pulled himself up and leaned into the door with the prothean. The two lunged forward, sending the door flying upward and unleashing a blinding torrent of light into the passenger bay. Shepard squinted involuntarily and looked down to Liara, his hand coming to his eyes to block the intense sunlight.

"Liara, can you get a location on that krogan squad?"

"_Fire detected. Please evacuate the shuttle."_

Liara nodded and began working at her omnitool. "On it."

"Hey, we're gonna have company here in a second..." Garrus turned back to the cabin and held a hand out to Shepard. The commander grabbed it and pulled himself to the door, scanning the crash site.

The Kodiak had crashed at the end of a T-intersection, though it was hard to identify it as such. Debris cluttered nearly every square inch of the road and the buildings from which it came lay in ruins. An overturned vehicle of some kind blocked the road to the left. Garrus nodded down the roadway directly in front of them where a small group of husks had rounded the corner and were now shambling toward the crash.

"They weren't there ten seconds ago... that Reaper must be ordering them around," Garrus stated as he reached for his rifle.

"_Fire detected. Please evacuate the shuttle."_

Shepard nodded to the turian and prothean. "Keep them off of us."

Without a moment's hesitation Javik and Garrus jumped out of the shuttle and into cover in the ruin ridden street. The two opened fire immediately and the line of husks dropped in a matter of seconds. Shepard noticed the rear thruster burning as he finished another quick survey of the battlefield. He turned back to the cabin to see Kaidan slowly pulling himself to his feet.

"Okay... I think I can handle this," Kaidan muttered as he rubbed his forehead.

Shepard looked his friend up and down to check for any visible damage. "You sure?"

Kaidan smiled weakly. "You bet." His eyes widened as he glanced over Shepard's shoulder. "Looks like they might need some help."

Shepard turned to see the handful of husks had grown into a full blown assault by Reaper forces. Dozens of husks, cannibals and marauders were now charging toward the crippled Kodiak. Kaidan pulled his rifle from his back and leapt through the hatch.

"_Fire detected. Please evacu-" _Shepard sighed in satisfaction as the voice cut off.

"That was getting annoying..." Cortez shouted from the cockpit.

Shepard glanced to see that Liara was still at work with her omnitool before jumping into the cockpit. Cortez was leaning against his chair, his hand clutching his side.

"Sorry, commander... had to cut the emergency power to make that warning shut up," Cortez lamented.

"Can you walk, lieutenant?"

Cortez leaned down to the side of his seat and grabbed his flight officer firearm. "I might need some help if we start moving fast, sir... but I can move."

Shepard nodded. "I hope you know how to use that thing."

Cortez limped past the commander and into the cabin, coming to rest at the corner of the door. "So this is what I'm missing while y'all are on the ground... so far it hasn't won me over."

"Shepard. I'm picking something up." Liara jumped to her feet, holding her omnitool out to give Shepard a view of the screen. "It looks like a krogan squad is inbound. They either saw us go down or picked up the shuttle's automatic distress beacon."

Shepard nodded and reached to his back, pulling out his assault rifle. "Well, let's make sure there's something for them to find."

Liara slid her SMG from the holster and the two jumped out into the street. The Tuchankan sun was hot under any circumstances, but it was clearly midday given the intensity of the heat. Shepard and Liara slid into cover behind a chunk of a massive column that had once stood proudly at the base of the building they had crash-landed into. The commander rose to a firing position and quickly scoped out the enemy forces. A symphony of pops and crackles rang out around him as his squad methodically cut down wave after wave of husks and cannibals. Shepard spotted a marauder slowly making its way up the street, but before he could line up a shot Garrus had unleashed two rounds from his sniper rifle into its skull, leaving it to stumble aimlessly for a few moments before collapsing.

Shepard looked to his right to see that the road was blocked by a mountain of debris from one of the collapsed buildings. The rubble was only fifteen or twenty feet high at the peak. He made a mental note to periodically check for any flank attempts before turning back to the assault at hand. Javik and Kaidan were positioned to Shepard's right, each leaning against their respective cover as they fired. Garrus had managed to find a slightly elevated position at the nose of the Kodiak that gave him an excellent sniping vantage point. Liara, wrapped in a biotic barrier, stood completely out of cover to give her a clear view. The blue field around her rippled as she sent a massive wave of biotic energy toward the oncoming enemies, knocking a dozen or so around like rag dolls.

Shepard was picking his targets carefully as they came. "Cortez! Check on the position of that krogan squad!"

"You got it, commander!" Cortez shouted from inside the wreckage.

Shepard couldn't help but feel there were an unusual number of Reaper forces attacking them. Luckily they seemed to be rushing the position as soon as they reached the street instead of grouping around the corner for a concentrated attack.

"The krogan squad is about fifty meters out, sir. Other side of the building we're up against by the looks of it!"

"You heard him, everyone! Watch for friendlies!" Shepard shouted to his squad. He slid down behind cover, popped a fresh thermal clip and pulled himself back up to continue firing. "So Javik, is this the fight you had in mind?"

Javik concentrated as he put his final three rounds of his clip into their targets. "I may disapprove of your command style, Shepard, but I will not deny your ability to find a worthy battle."

"That's a yes," Garrus snickered as he popped off a trio of rounds.

Liara unleashed a Singularity half way down the street before retracting her barrier and sliding into cover across from Shepard. "Diplomatic mission... that's how it always starts, isn't it?"

Shepard glanced over with a grin. "Getting tired, T'soni?"

Liara grinned wickedly in return, her barrier igniting fiercely around her once again. "I've barely broken a sweat." She whipped up from cover and clenched her fist at an approaching marauder, crushing him into a pulp.

Kaidan laughed as he followed up on a nearby cannibal. "Asari have it so easy with _their _biotics."

Shepard caught movement out of the corner of his eye and remembered the hill of debris to his right. He turned to see a chunk of the wall that the debris was resting against burst apart. Immediately after it came the hulking silhouette of a fully armored krogan, his shotgun at the ready. The krogan jumped off of the hill as three others filed out of the building in pursuit. Shepard lowered his rifle and hurried toward the group. The first krogan pumped his shoulders excitedly as he and Shepard slid up against the wall of a building to stay out of the line of fire.

"Who are you!" The krogan was blunt, but did not seem aggressive or dangerous.

"Name's Shepard! I'm here to see Urdnot Wrex!" The other krogan had followed and were standing in position behind their squad leader. The sound of battle just around the corner was clearly tantalizing.

"Shepard..." The krogan muttered.

The leader turned back to his squad and waved them on. The three jumped past Shepard and around the corner, their guns erupting into fire toward the Reaper forces.

The krogan nodded a greeting. "It's an honor to meet you, Shepard. I'm Terux of clan Kallur. Your squad need saving?"

Shepard was slightly taken aback at the welcome but quickly nodded. "You could say that! You got an outpost around here?"

Terux motioned back to the pile of rubble he and his squad had climbed down. "Aralakh Company is holding about a kilometer out. We're going out the same way we came in."

Shepard nodded. "Let's get the hell out of here, then!"

The commander turned back to the street and rounded the corner. "We're moving! Kaidan on me! Cortez is gonna need help!"

Shepard ducked down and made his way to the shuttle hatch where Cortez had already pulled himself out of the wreckage and was firing down range. Kaidan slid up beside Shepard and the two pulled the lieutenant up, one of them under each arm, and the three hurried to the side street. Javik, Garrus, Liara and the rest of Terux's squad had begun slowly moving back toward the street as well. Shepard looked at the pile of rubble and turned back to his squad.

"Hold here!"

Shepard, Kaidan and Cortez hobbled to the hill and slowly began their ascent, making sure they had tight footholds as they climbed. The squad was slowly falling back as well, weapons ablaze as husks continued pouring around the corner and into the small side street. As they finally reached the top Shepard and Kaidan lead Cortez through the large hole on the wall that Terux's squad had burst through. The Spectres set Cortez down and turned back to the street, their rifles raised as they began firing from the top of the hill down into the horde.

"Everyone up, let's go!" Shepard shouted as each member of both squads began climbing the rubble with haste.

One by one Garrus, Liara and the four krogan made their way to the crest of the hill, each continuing to lay down covering fire for the others as they climbed. Javik was the last to the top, snarling as he discovered he had only one thermal clip left.

"I think I can buy us some time to escape... stand back!" Liara shouted.

The asari dropped her kinetic barrier, her biotics concentrating in front of her. She clenched her teeth as she focused the energy into an enormous blast that exploded forward and into the corner of the building in front of them. The force of the blast ripped through a chunk of a load-bearing column, causing tons upon tons of the building's structure to collapse and obstruct much of the small side street. A wave of dirt and dust flooded over the concrete valley. The squads made their way into the building, coughing as the thick dust followed them.

Shepard wiped his eyes clear and glanced over to Liara with a smile. "A little dirtier than I was expecting... but nicely done."

"I bet that's not the first time you've said that," Garrus quipped as he cleaned off the scope of his rifle.

Shepard shook his head with a smirk and looked around the large, dim room they had entered. He flipped on his omnitool light and walked over to Terux as he shook his arms free of dirt. "Thanks for the exfil. I owe you one."

The krogan shrugged. "I think I owe you more, human."

Shepard smiled. "So you said you were part of Aralakh Company?"

"Haven't been in for long. No one has. Well, except for Grunt... but I believe you already know him." Terux chuckled to himself.

"How do you know-"

"Everyone in Aralakh knows about Commander Shepard. Urdnot Grunt says you're the best warrior he's ever fought with. Well, best who wasn't a krogan." Terux grinned.

"I'll take that." Shepard smirked and looked around to his squad. "We ready to move?"

"Our Tomkah's on the other side of the building. You say the word and I'll lead the way."

Shepard nodded as his squad formed up beside him. "Well then let's go. I've got an old friend to catch up with."

* * *

Shepard stared at the floor of the Tomkah as it rumbled through the debris ridden streets of what Terux had informed him were the ruins of a city named Dektura. Every few seconds the cannon mounted on the roof of the vehicle would let out a series of thumps, clearing out either obstacles or hostiles along their route. The commander was struggling to settle on a single emotional state. He was exhilarated to be back in combat, but he felt less enthused about the circumstances that had landed him there. He was a bit irritated at Wrex for not warning him what they were getting into, but he also felt foolish having neglected to order the Kodiak's hostile detection systems online.

He looked up as the Tomkah ground to a halt and saw that Terux had already jumped to his feet and begun opening the hatch. Shepard and his squad rose as well with Kaidan and Garrus helping Cortez to his feet. The door was large, as it would have to be to accommodate the average krogan, and it gave a deep, metallic groan as it swung apart revealing a similar ruined street to the one they had just evacuated. This street, however, was filled with a half dozen Tomkahs and a full company of krogan warriors. Terux and his squad motioned for Shepard to exit. He gave a curt nod of thanks, stepped to the door and jumped to the ground a meter and a half below. A few nearby members of Aralakh Company hurried to the newly returned vehicle and looked over Shepard cautiously.

"You from the crash?" One of them inquired.

Shepard began dusting himself off and glanced to the krogan. "I am. You from Aralakh Company?"

They grinned and nodded. "You know about Aralakh, human?" The krogan was clearly proud of his position.

The human wiped his forehead with a smirk. "I should hope so. I did teach your CO everything he knows." The three krogan glanced to one another in befuddlement.

Terux walked up behind Shepard and gave him a hearty slap on the back. "I'm takin' him to Grunt. Get the rest of Shepard's squad some water and first aid."

They nodded and rushed off to find the provisions. Terux set off right away with Shepard staying at his side. Aralakh Company was holding up in the center of the street with their Tomkahs on all sides to form a makeshift boundary for their temporary camp. Shepard was lead past dozens of krogan who watched him curiously, nodding and muttering to each other about his identity. As they reached the opposite side of the camp Terux halted. In front of them a krogan leaned over a map that rested on a crate of munitions.

"Sir, we found survivors at the crash," Terux reported.

Grunt pushed the map away and turned around, his expression stern and professional. "Good, did they-" The krogan stopped himself mid-sentence as he caught sight of Shepard. His lips curled into a grin. "I shoulda known."

"Miss me, Grunt?" Shepard crossed his arms with a smile.

Grunt laughed and stomped over to his friend, pumping his shoulders excitedly. "Shepard! What are you doin' here?" The young krogan extended his hand.

Shepard grabbed and shook his hand firmly. "I _was_ on my way to meet Wrex before that Reaper put a dent in my plans."

Grunt waved Terux off and motioned for Shepard to join him beside his Tomkah. "Well you're in luck if you're looking for some revenge."

"What the hell is that thing still doing here, Grunt?" The Reaper could still be heard faintly a kilometer or two off.

"It's the last Reaper on the homeworld, Shepard, and Urdnot Wrex wants it dead." Grunt reached down to his supply pack, pulling a canteen of water from it and offering it to Shepard. "It's fresh."

"So why not just hit it with artillery? Or any orbital bombardment?" The commander took the water gratefully and quickly removed the cap, downing a few huge gulps in a matter of seconds.

"'Cause Wrex says no. He challenged our most elite units to a race for the kill. No weapons you can't hold in one arm. No nukes. Winner gets the glory of killing the last Reaper on Tuchanka." Grunt clenched his fists in anticipation.

Shepard shook his head and closed up the canteen. "But why is it here to begin with? Why didn't it retreat with the others?"

"The orbital defense guns crippled its flight capabilities at some point. It decided to make this ruin its last stand... husks and cannibals and marauders have been flocking to this dump for weeks."

The commander chuckled. "We noticed."

Grunt cackled and took back the canteen, sticking it into his pack. "We didn't even know if its beam was operational. Thanks for giving us a heads up on that."

"So what's your plan? How are you gonna attack this thing?" Shepard crossed his arms and leaned against the Tomkah.

Grunt kicked a box of munitions to his left. "ML-77 rockets. Take out enough legs to bring it close to the ground and punch a hole in it somewhere," he kicked a box to his right, "Burn it from the inside out with thermite grenades."

Shepard laughed and nodded. "I've heard crazier. It might work."

"Heh heh... it'll work." Grunt glanced to his side as Terux reappeared.

"Sir." Terux acknowledged his officer before turning to Shepard. "Your pilot is wounded. I'd suggest we send him back to the clan leader's camp in one of our Tomkahs."

"Do it," Grunt ordered. The krogan shifted his gaze to Shepard. "You know Shepard, Aralakh Company could always use more guns. That Reaper isn't gonna kill itself."

The commander shook his head with a smile and lowered his head. "As long as it's not against the rules... I guess you can count me in for one last run with Aralakh." He glanced back up with a grin.

Grunt slammed his fists together. "Hah! This is gonna be a hell of a battle, Shepard!" He turned back to his map. "We're moving out in fifteen minutes."

Shepard nodded and looked to Terux who motioned for him to follow. The two made their way back to where they had arrived to find Shepard's squad waiting and talking amongst themselves. They quieted and turned to Shepard as he approached.

"Here's the plan. Aralakh Company is going after that Reaper. Anyone who wants to join them is welcome." Shepard glanced to Cortez as he leaned against a Tomkah's wheel. "However, they've offered to send Cortez back to Wrex's camp in a Tomkah. I'd feel a lot better if he had an escort."

Kaidan stood up and nodded. "I'll go, commander. My implants need some tuning, anyway."

Garrus let out a sigh. "Me too. My leg just isn't feeling right. I don't want it to snap in half right as we charge a Reaper."

"I appreciate it, guys," Cortez muttered thankfully.

Shepard glanced to Javik who nodded once. "I am with you, commander."

Liara stood and took a deep breath. "As am I."

The commander looked around his small circle of comrades with a smile. "Garrus. Kaidan. Cortez. Tell Wrex we're on our way." Shepard looked to Javik and Liara. "Let's get ready to move. We've got a Reaper to kill."

* * *

**Author's Note**

While that was fun to write I have _no_ idea if it will be any fun to read. I'm hoping it is. Tune in next week for the thrilling conclusion of _Tuchanka: The Reap-ire Strikes Back_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Aralakh! Form up!"

Grunt's voice bellowed through his soldiers' chatter and the rough grumbling of idling Tomkahs. The few dozen krogan of Aralakh Company were disembarking from their vehicles and rushing with their respective squads to points of cover. Shepard leapt down and hurried toward Grunt with Liara and Javik in tow. Grunt looked over his company as the Tomkahs began to fall silent, their drivers locking up the access hatches as they jumped out of the transports. Shepard felt his adrenaline spike as the nearby but out of sight Reaper let out its deep, guttural growl. Grunt looked back to Shepard and his squad before shouting to his company.

"The Reaper's in a big courtyard and the roads leading in are too cluttered to pass so we'll go in through the buildings around it. A through D squads will follow Kallur Terux to the east while I take E and F west with Shepard and his squad." The krogan of Aralakh Company were already visibly anxious for battle. "First step is take out the legs. Shepard will paint weak points with the target locator. I'll call for synchronized barrages from the heavy weapons. Second step is to find a crack in the hull. Third... burn it from the inside out."

The krogan let out a roar of excitement and anticipation.

Terux stood and fired a burst from his rifle into the air. "For Aralakh!"

The krogan roared and cheered as Grunt shouted in response. "For the krogan!"

The company erupted in deep shouting and excited rabble as Terux waved his squads onto him and began to move east along the road. Grunt did the same and lead the his force at double time in the opposite direction. Shepard, Liara and Javik ran along behind Grunt as he lead them around a corner and into the cavernous lobby of what was once a skyscraper. The building now stood only fifteen to twenty stories tall. A light rumbling from the Reaper's steps could be heard and felt around them. Shepard estimated it was no more than a hundred meters away. The unit slowed as they began ascending a dusty staircase in the center of the room. Grunt turned and stopped as they reached the third floor.

"E squad, move up one story and get to the south corner. F, north corner, two stories," Grunt commanded. The krogan nodded obediently and hurried up the next flight of stairs.

Grunt turned back to Shepard and his squad and nodded as they began to move deeper into the building. Shepard held his rifle at the ready, expecting a husk or cannibal as they rounded each flipped table or dislodged chunk of concrete, only to be met with unsettling silence.

"Something's not right here, Grunt," Shepard cautioned. "Didn't you say the reaper forces have been congregating here the past few days?"

Grunt let out a sigh as he considered Shepard's words. "Yeah... you're right." He flipped on his communicator. "Grunt to Terux. Any movement?"

Terux's voice crackled in almost immediately. _"Negative. I was about to ask the same thing."_

"All units stay alert. Report any contact." Grunt switched of his comm and looked to the three that accompanied him. "One of my engineers gave me some motion sensors. We should probably deploy them back at the stairs."

Liara nodded. "Good idea. I'll double back and set them up if you'd like."

Grunt nodded and reached into the equipment pack slung around his back, pulling out two small, pyramidal devices. Liara took the sensors and looked them over, finding the sync button on the bottom and linking them to her omnitool.

Shepard still felt uneasy. He glanced around the room once more before turning to the prothean. "Javik, escort Liara while she sets those things up."

Javik nodded once. "As you wish, commander." He turned to the asari and the two hurriedly began their way back to the stairs.

"You ready to move, Shepard?" Grunt inquired.

The commander nodded. "After you."

Grunt donned his wicked grin and started off once again with Shepard at his side. The two only passed through another two rooms before they reached a door wedged shut. The krogan rammed his shoulder into the door, forcing it to part and unleash a ray of light onto them. They had reached the edge of the building. Shepard took a quick glance through the doorway to see a blown-out room around ten meters deep and wide. The wall opposite from his position was completely gone, giving him a clear view of the destroyed courtyard and the legs of the Destroyer that occupied it. He glanced back to Grunt and motioned for him to follow as they crept into the room, staying low, and into the cover of a large overturned table. Grunt opened his comm and glanced around the corner to get a visual on the target before sliding back into cover.

"E squad, report."

"_In position,"_ a krogan muttered in response.

"F squad, report."

"_In position and readying ordinance."_

"Terux, report."

"_We're in position, sir. All teams are readying their ordinance,"_ Terux radioed in.

Grunt looked to Shepard. "You ready to kill something big, Shepard?"

The commander smirked. "Yeah, I think I am."

Grunt glanced over the table once more. "What, uh... what do you think we should hit first?"

Shepard slid to the end of the table and peered around the corner to get a view for himself. Whether or not Grunt had done it intentionally, they were positioned at a perfect height to give them view of the Reaper's legs without letting it catch sight of them in return. Shepard scanned the legs and lower body of the synthetic behemoth. There was a huge gash that spread from the lower right side to the belly of the beast and possibly further; no doubt it was where the Reaper had taken the crippling blow. Half of its back right leg was missing and that which remained hung limp and useless. Shepard almost felt bad for this assault on a wounded opponent. Almost.

"If we take out the front right leg it'll go down," Shepard stated as he slid back into cover.

Grunt nodded. "Alright." He reached into his pack and pulled out a pistol-shaped target designator. "Here. You can do the fun part."

Shepard chuckled and took the device. "You're a good kid, Grunt," he teased.

As Shepard flipped on the designator Liara and Javik quietly slid through the door and into cover. Liara pulled up the proximity alert protocol on her omnitool and within a few seconds was receiving a data stream from the motion detectors.

"No movement," she informed.

Shepard nodded and looked back to the krogan. "We ready to do this, Grunt?"

The krogan flipped on his comm. "Everyone get ready for my mark." He glanced to Shepard. "Let's make this thing die."

The commander stood up and rested his arms on the table to steady his aim. He took a deep breath as he gazed through the viewfinder and painted the joint of the Reaper's leg with a green dot. He held as straight as he could, keeping the dot almost perfectly still.

"Do it," Shepard said quietly.

"Fire!" Grunt shouted. In less than a second all six missile launchers had unleashed their payload, sending six high-impact explosives hurtling toward the little green dot on the Reaper's leg. The four missiles from the east and the two from the west all impacted within a half second of each other, causing an enormous chain explosion that filled the air with smoke and dust. The Destroyer buzzed in fury as its leg was struck and shot its beam perhaps involuntarily into the building in front of it. Shepard shook his head thankfully that none of the squads were positioned on the southern end of the courtyard. The Reaper began rumbling and turning, seemingly searching for its attackers. It let out another buzz, but this one was more calm and collected.

"Shepard..." Liara raised her omnitool. "We have movement downstairs. Lots of movement."

Through the smoke and dust a collection of shapes and noises began spilling out from the building to the north.

"It kept them hidden..." Shepard shook his head as the field was quickly filled with husks, marauders and cannibals all running for the buildings.

"All units, light 'em up!" Grunt yelled into his comm.

"Grunt, no!" Before Shepard could stop the order a hail of shots rained down from the firing positions in the eastern and western buildings. "It's just trying to figure out where we are!"

Another beam shot forth from the Reaper, this time impacting the eastern building and taking out one of the corners.

"_Agghh! This is B squad! We're hit hard!"_

Grunt bellowed in rage and flipped on his comm. "All units prepare ordinance!"

Shepard realized it was too late to keep their positions secret. The Reaper had already found them. He quickly recomposed himself and lined up another shot at the same, now smoldering, point he had before.

"We have hostiles moving up the stairs!" Liara shouted.

Shepard held the shot and glanced over his shoulder to Liara and Javik. "Well get ready to fight them off if they find us!"

"FIRE!" Grunt roared.

The second salvo of missiles streaked downward from the buildings and into the leg of the Reaper. Shepard noted only five contrails this time. The Reaper let out another guttural buzz and fired off another blast from its main battery, once again into the eastern building. The beam made a direct hit on the position of D squad. The floor of the room quickly crumbled away, leaving the only remaining member of D squad to tumble into a pile of rubble and concrete. Shepard had already begun lining up a third shot.

"Commander! Enemy contact!" Javik shouted just before his rifle erupted into fire.

Shepard turned from the Reaper to see a husk forcing itself into the room only to have its head blow apart by a combination of Javik and Liara's rifle and SMG fire. A cannibal immediately took its place and met the same fate.

"Shepard!" Grunt yelled. "Paint the target!"

"Keep them off of us! This thing is almost down!" Shepard turned back to the Reaper and began lasing his target one last time. "Ready!"

"Fire! FIRE!" Grunt yelled, as he pulled his shotgun from his back and began laying waste down into the courtyard full of reaper forces.

A third salvo flew forth and smashed into the Reaper's leg. The machine groaned deeply as it slowly began to collapse. Shepard froze as he watched the Reaper shift its fall toward their building.

"Everyone down!" Shepard shouted. He wrapped his arm around Liara and pulled her down into cover with him as he dove behind the table.

The building shook violently as the tall aft section of the Reaper impacted the northern end of the building and tore down layer after layer of concrete and metal, causing a storm of dust and dirt to swirl around them. Shepard could hear Javik's weapon still firing consistently through the collapse. He pulled himself and Liara up as the Reaper finally settled with half of its body wedged into the building. Its eye glowed angrily and fired another beam into the southern building, hitting nothing. Grunt pushed a rather large slab of fallen concrete off of his leg and activated his comm.

"E and F squads, report!" Grunt shook off a layer of dust as he pulled another slab of debris off of his shotgun.

"_E squad, engaging ground forces."_

Grunt retrieved his shotgun before pausing as he waited for a response from F.

Liara glanced down to her omnitool and pulled up her squad status program. "Grunt... their bio-readings are gone."

Grunt waited a few more seconds before snarling angrily and switching comm channels.

"Terux! Pull your squads together and hold position while Shepard and I kill this thing for good. E, move down to our current position and hold with Shepard's squad. There's a hole in the roof above us." Grunt glanced to Shepard and pumped his shoulders. "Let's move."

Shepard looked to Liara and Javik. "Stay safe. I don't want anything making it through this door, got it?"

The prothean and asari nodded as Shepard turned back to Grunt. The krogan was already climbing through a fresh hole in the wall and toward the impact point of the Reaper's hull. Shepard hurried to catch up as Grunt ascended a slab that allowed them access to the next floor. The smell of smoke, sound and gunfire and sight of utter destruction surrounded them as they waded through the nearly collapsed building. Grunt leapt to the top of a pile of debris and held his hand out for Shepard who followed up after him. As Shepard pulled himself to his feet he saw Grunt slam his fists together in excitement. Before them the dark shell of the Reaper's hull lay having obliterated an entire twenty by twenty meter corner of the building. At least six floors of the corner had been completely collapsed by the impact. A five foot gap sat between the floor they stood on and the slanted hull of the Reaper.

Grunt glanced over his shoulder. "Hope this thing stays still."

The krogan cackled and jumped forward onto the shell, his hands grabbing onto some of the many divots in the Reaper's armor. He grunted as he pulled himself up using a few hand-holds until he had reached the level side of the body. Shepard slid his rifle onto his back and took a deep breath before leaping forward and grabbing onto the carapace in the same spot Grunt had. He made quick work of the couple vertical feet between himself and Grunt, pulling himself up next to his companion and nodding. They began a careful walk down the length of Reaper, holding fast each time it kicked or writhed in an attempt to pull itself upright. Shepard hoped it was not aware it had been boarded. As the two made their way out of the building Shepard scanned the ongoing battle below them. Husks, marauders and cannibals continued to wail and hobble about looking for foes as the krogan squads cut them down by the dozens from their vantage points.

"Well lookie here..." Grunt pointed ahead to thick gash in the Reaper's armor.

Shepard grinned and the two slid to either side of the gap. Inside the wound the synthetic innards of the Reaper lay completely exposed; a dim glow illuminated from small hubs deep inside the machine. Grunt had already pulled his two thermite grenades from his belt and was prepping their timers.

"Ten seconds?" Grunt questioned.

Shepard found a safe footing and reached for his ordinance. "Sounds good. You think four will be enough?"

"If it isn't I'll just have to tear it apart with my bare hands," Grunt responded very matter-of-factly.

Grunt and Shepard primed their grenades and nodded in sync before tossing them into the deep crevasse. The four thick cylinders thumped and clattered as they sunk deep into the body of the Reaper. Grunt peered after them eagerly as Shepard slid around him and back toward the building from which they had come.

"Grunt, move!" Shepard called back to the krogan.

After hesitating for a brief moment Grunt turned and followed close behind Shepard as they worked their way back. Exactly ten seconds after they had dropped their grenades the Reaper let out a fierce, mechanical roar and began to thrash. Shepard glanced back to see a billow of smoke fire pour from the side of the Reaper. A chorus of celebratory cheering rang out from the buildings around them just loud enough to break through the sound of battle and the death throes of the Reaper. Shepard's grip tightened as the thrashing intensified. He felt the sense of guilt return as the machine he clung to died a torturous death; a sense that quickly dissipated as he reminded himself of the atrocities it and its kind had committed over hundreds of millions of years. Shepard glanced to Grunt who grinned gleefully in return as they continued onwards. As the two leapt from the Reaper back into the half-collapsed building its glowing red eye slowly faded into darkness. The mass of husks, cannibals and marauders quickly ground to a halt and began looking around aimlessly.

Grunt flipped on his comm as he reached for his shotgun. "Aralakh Company! Count your dead and grab your wounded! We've got glory rights to claim!"

* * *

The air was filled with the sounds of celebration as the two halves of Aralakh Company rejoined at their Tomkahs. Shepard, Liara and Javik stepped back and watched with amusement as the krogan raucously butted heads and pumped their shoulders in excitement. Shepard looked to his squadmates and nodded with a smile.

"Good work. Both of you."

Javik grinned slightly, an expression of emotion that Shepard rarely saw from the prothean. "I am normally not a fan of show. But I will admit that you performed an entertaining feat, commander."

"Entertaining is one word for it," Liara noted. "I'd call it nearly giving me a heart-attack."

Shepard chuckled and put his arm around the asari, pulling her to his side. "I'll try not to climb onto any live Reapers from now on. Just for you."

She smirked and elbowed his side playfully. "You're quite the gentleman."

The company of krogan began to settle down from their revelry and break off to their Tomkahs. Grunt marched out of the group with his massive grin in place and a hand extended toward Shepard and his squad. He laughed as he shook each of their hands.

"Now that was a fight!" Grunt exclaimed joyfully.

"You krogan are fierce warriors," Javik stated. "Often rash and reckless, but fierce."

"Heh heh... you say reckless like it's a bad thing," Grunt responded.

Shepard wiped his brow of a thick layer of sweat. "It was an honor to fight with you again, Grunt."

"The honor was mine, Shepard." Grunt smiled sincerely and nodded toward the Tomkahs. "Now... I think you said something about meeting with Wrex, huh?"

Shepard chuckled. "Why yes I did. That old bastard owes me a new shuttle."

* * *

Commander Shepard shielded his eyes as the late afternoon sun burst through the opening hatch of the Tomkah. Grunt stood back from the door as he finished heaving it open and motioned for Shepard and his squad to exit. Shepard, Liara and Javik leapt from the door to the dusty ground outside a series of large, relatively intact buildings. Each building was only a few stories tall at most and the entire complex was enclosed in a massive wall dotted with watch towers roughly every fifty meters. Grunt jumped out behind Shepard and his squad and waved for them to follow him.

"Come on, Wrex should be inside," Grunt said as he trotted to the entrance of the closest building.

Shepard glanced to his squad. "Think you two can find the rest of the team for me while I talk to Wrex?"

Liara smiled and nodded, activating her omnitool. "Shouldn't be a problem, Shepard."

The commander nodded in thanks. "Great. I'll try to make this quick."

Shepard turned back to Grunt as Liara and Javik headed off into the complex. "I assume this was some sort of military complex?" Shepard queried as he followed Grunt through the large, krogan-sized door.

Grunt shrugged as they made their way down a hallway. "I guess. Wrex said it would be a good staging area against that Reaper. We didn't know how hurt it was when we first found it."

The couple came to a stop at a set of double doors. A guard nodded at Grunt and Shepard. "Who are you? And what do you want?"

Grunt narrowed his brow. "Urdnot Grunt. Commander of Aralakh Company."

Shepard crosses his arms. "Commander Shepard. Just an old friend of Wrex."

The krogan guard immediately backed down and stepped to the side. "My apologies. Wrex is waiting for you inside."

Grunt let out a dominant scoff as he pushed the doors apart and stomped into the next room. Shepard followed him into what appeared to be an old command center. A long dead holo-projector sat in the middle of the room, big enough to display an enormous full render of a planet with detailed strategic information. A dozen or so krogan occupied the room, some working at terminals and others standing guard with rifles at the ready. Urdnot Wrex leaned over a holo-map with an advisor of some kind. The clan leader glanced up as Grunt burst his way into the room and held a hand up to his advisor, waving him off.

Grunt stopped before Wrex and nodded respectfully. "Your Reaper is dead. Aralakh Company claims the kill."

Wrex grinned and nodded slowly. "But did you bring any of your company back this time, whelp?"

The tank-bred krogan crossed his arms defiantly. "Eight dead. Three wounded. Eighteen ready for combat."

"And the Reaper _is_ dead?" Wrex looked over Grunt, noting the signs of battle.

Shepard stepped up beside Grunt. "It's dead. But I think Clan Normandy deserves part of that claim."

"Shepard... you just had to be part of another krogan victory, didn't you?" Wrex laughed and stepped toward his friend with his hand extended.

Shepard grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "You flew me ass-first into a Reaper. Didn't really give me much of a choice in the matter!"

"Heh heh... I figured you could handle yourself... and that you'd have your scanners online." Wrex smirked and looked to Grunt. "Congratulate your company. Give them leave and a shuttles back to Urdnot. We have a lot of females looking for war heroes."

Grunt grinned. "Yes, sir." He turned to Shepard. "Hey Shepard... if I don't see you again before you leave Tuchanka... thanks for the fights."

Shepard looked over with a smile and slapped Grunt on the shoulder. "You'd have found them anyway, Grunt."

"Let me know if we need to save the galaxy again, Shepard. You know where to find me." Grunt nodded to Shepard and Wrex before turning and marching back out of the command center.

Wrex let out an audible 'hmm' as Grunt took his leave. "Good kid. Glad you pulled him out of Okeer's hell-hole."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "He's already matured quite a bit. His command was rather admirable."

Wrex motioned toward a wide table and the two walked over to sit across from one another. "Alright, Shepard. Time to come clean with me."

Shepard raised a brow as he slid into his seat. "Come clean?"

"I know you're not here just to say hello. You've got your own planet to rebuild. Why come to Tuchanka?"

The commander leaned forward and laced his fingers. "I'm here on my own accord, Wrex... though it's not_ exclusively_ my accord."

"Council sent you, didn't they? Here to administer the new genophage?" Wrex joked with a smirk.

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "They didn't send me. Their interests just happened to coincide with my visit."

Wrex laughed. "That sounds like politician talk, Shepard. Just tell me what you're here for."

The commander sat back with a sigh. "I... I just wanted to see how you're doing, Wrex. How the krogan are doing."

Wrex's face soured slightly. "Are you here to keep tabs on me?"

Shepard put his hand across his mouth in exasperation. "No. Of course not, Wrex. I trust you. I know that you can lead your people to prosperity. The Council, on the other hand, doesn't."

"Save their ungrateful asses_ and_ the galaxy and they still don't trust your judgment?" Wrex scoffed.

"They're just afraid, Wrex. I'm here to prove to them that you're leading the krogan to the right place."

Wrex rose from the table. "Let me show you something, Shepard."

Shepard stood and followed the krogan to the map Wrex had been analyzing. The map displayed the ruins of a krogan city with hundreds of holographic pins scattered throughout.

"See this?" Wrex nodded to the holo-map. "This... pile of rubble... is Urdnot. Tuchanka's new capital."

Shepard remained silent for a moment. "Not trying to sound insulting, but... there isn't much here."

"Not yet. But there will be."

Wrex leaned forward and tapped one of the pins on the map, causing it to blip into a holographic building. "Our first hospital. It'll be done in a few months. And it's just the beginning, Shepard. Now that my people know they have a future they're uniting. They're rebuilding. They want a home for the children they could never have before you saved us."

Shepard felt the sincerity in his voice. "Me?"

"Of course you, Shepard. You and that ridiculous salarian. But he couldn't have done it without you and neither could I." Wrex turned to Shepard, looking him dead in the eye. "And I can promise you that every krogan from this day forward will know that. They'll know that it was you, a human, who cured us. Saved us. And you did it for no reason other than because it was _right_. You're a hero to us, Shepard. I've never liked that word, but there's no better one to describe you."

The commander smiled lightly. "Then that's what I'll tell the Council. And that's all they'll get from me."

Wrex held out his hand. "Before I met you I figured I would die alone knowing my people would suffer the same fate." Shepard took his hand and the two shook. "I'm glad you proved me wrong."

"I know you'll do your people right, Wrex. You're the only person I would trust to put in your position right now."

"I'm doing it for more than myself or my people. I'm doing it for you and the galaxy you saved." Wrex took his hand back and smiled.

Shepard smirked. "Speaking of doing things for me... you're gonna need to lend me one of your shuttles."

"Hah! Fair enough. I suppose the salvation of my entire race is worth a rusty Kodiak. They're too small for krogan anyway."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Sorry about the wait for this one. Busy schedule AND the release of the Extended Cut DLC slowed this chapter down a bit. I won't bore you with a full review but I'm glad ME3 actually has what I would consider an ending now. I still_ strongly_ dislike the narrative choices of the ending, but whatever. It's better than nothing (which is, in my opinion, what we got originally). That said, there is still a lot more to come in this alternate ending. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Thanks for the hospitality!"

Commander Shepard shouted over the roaring engines of a Kodiak hovering a few meters away. The hull of the craft was a deep, dark red and numerous scorch marks blackened the paint and viewports. The vehicle had clearly seen its fair share of battle. Shepard glanced over his shoulder and through the open hatch of the shuttle to see his squad sitting and chatting amongst themselves.

"Don't mention it, my friend," Wrex bellowed. His deep voice was barely distinguishable from the rumbling thrusters. "And don't be a stranger."

The human and krogan stepped toward one another and shook hands one last time.

"Take care of yourself, Wrex. Eve, too." Shepard smiled, his eyes squinting as the setting sun stretched their shadows further and further down the dirt field they stood in.

Wrex grinned. "That woman can take care of herself, Shepard. Now get outta here. I'm tired of your ugly mug."

Shepard chuckled and nodded before turning and grabbing hold of the Kodiak's door frame and hauling himself into the aircraft. He glanced back to Wrex and the krogan bowed his head in goodbye. Shepard closed the hatch with a tap of its control panel and quickly leaned into the cockpit where Kaidan sat at the helm.

"Think you can handle this thing?" Shepard asked, half jokingly.

"Maybe not with as much finesse as Cortez, but I think I can keep us alive," Kaidan mused as he kicked in the thrusters and brought the aircraft into a climb.

Shepard slid onto one of the bench as the Kodiak gained speed and altitude, bumping into Garrus as he did.

"Woah, easy there, Shepard. You've gotta at least buy my dinner first." Garrus joked as Shepard found his balance.

On adjacent seats Liara and Cortez let out a laugh, the latter of the two wincing and grabbing his torso. "Aggh... don't make me laugh, Garrus... I don't trust that krogan doctor who said I only have two broken ribs."

"He did seem very confused as to why one would seek medical attention for 'just a broken rib,'" Liara smirked.

The commander laughed and glanced up to the briefing monitor. The screen was noticeably more grimy and smudged than the one in the Normandy's crashed Kodiak, but so was virtually everything about the craft. On the screen a tiny holographic Kodiak, followed by a dotted line tracking its course, closed the gap between itself and a tiny holographic Normandy. Shepard glanced from the screen to the bench where Javik sat alone. The prothean sat up perfectly straight, his eyes closed. Shepard was unsure if he was sleeping, meditating, or simply trying his best to ignore the others around him.

"So, where are we headed next, Shepard?" Garrus queried.

Shepard's concentration snapped back to reality and he glanced over to the turian. "Horizon. Give Kaidan a hand with this Cerberus investigation."

"I appreciate that, commander!" Kaidan called from the cockpit.

"So... kick a little Cerberus ass, give our blessings to the most unfortunate colony in the galaxy and then head off to the next stop on the Normandy's galaxy-wide victory tour? Sounds like a good weekend to me," Garrus stated coolly as he leaned back in his seat.

* * *

Shepard typed fluidly at his personal console, his report to the Council flowing without pause. As he neared the end of his message and prepared his final thought he sat back and read over what he had written. After a minute or so of consideration he leaned forward to finish his send-off.

_In closing, Councilors, I have found no evidence to support the claim that the krogan will revert to the aggression seen in the rebellions. Their experience with the galactic community has matured their outlook on inter-species cooperation and given their efforts in the Reaper War, I recommend they be offered the opportunity to re-open their embassy on the Citadel. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any clarification or further inquires regarding my findings._

_-Commander John Shepard, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance_

The commander proof-read the message one final time before pressing send and powering off his monitor. He let out a exhausted yawn and leaned his head back, enjoying the silence of his quarters.

"_Hey, Commander, we're inbound to the Aralakh Relay. Let me know when you want me to make the jump."_ Shepard's eyes jumped open as Joker's voice broke through the intercom.

Shepard glanced at the digital clock on the corner of his desk and squinted to be sure he was reading the time correctly. He had been asleep for half an hour.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Joker, I'll be up to the CIC for the nav orders in a few." Shepard sat forward and rubbed his eyes as he responded.

The commander pulled himself to his feet and made his way to the elevator. He had a few people to visit before he was going to let himself get some rest. He stepped into the lift and tapped the console, ordering the elevator to descend to the Crew's Quarters. He missed the stairs on the SR-1 sometimes. The car came to a stop with a soft pinging noise and the doors slid apart to reveal the memorial wall. Shepard glanced at the names for a brief moment before turning heading into the mess hall. The commander nodded to the crewmen enjoying their dinner but made his way quickly to the medbay. As the doors slid apart Garrus, who was situated on a nearby examination table, looked up and gave him a nod. Doctor Chakwas was busy operating a medical scanner that hovered above Cortez as he lay on his back.

"I assume that's Commander Shepard, no?" Chakwas asked as she concentrated on her work.

"You must have keen ears, doctor," Shepard replied as he leaned against one of the desks.

"Or nose," Garrus jabbed.

Shepard shook his head with a smirk. "How's it look, Doctor Chakwas?"

Chakwas nodded to herself as she finished looking over the results from her scan and smiled down to Cortez. "One last test and we're done, lieutenant." Chakwas tapped a button on the screen and turned to Shepard. "Assuming this next test comes up clean, which I expect it will, he'll be fit for flying in a day or so."

"Good to hear. Kaidan scuffed a bit of paint off of the Kodiak bringing us into the hangar," Shepard replied.

"Hey, I offered to fly and you said no. Just because I haven't had any... _official_ training..." Garrus trailed off.

Shepard grinned. "Save it, Vakarian. And how's the leg?"

Doctor Chakwas looked over the turian and nodded. "He's fit to fight, commander. I was a little worried when you brought Cortez in that he had shaken something up, but it looks right as rain."

"Excellent. Because it looks like we're going to be visiting Palaven after we finish this business up on Horizon," Shepard stated as he stood up.

Garrus slid off of the examination table and flared his mandibles. "I should probably send out a message to my father in that case. Let him to know I might be stopping by." Garrus nodded to the others and exited the room.

Shepard looked back to Chakwas and Cortez. "Thanks for keeping me posted on everything, doctor."

Chakwas glanced to Shepard with a smile. "Of course, commander." She nodded and turned back to the medical console as it began spilling data across the viewscreen.

Shepard turned and walked out of the medbay, raising his hand and rubbing his temple slightly. It had been a long day. He stopped at the door to Liara's office and tapped the security panel once. The panel glowed green and spun in place as the security system quickly identified him, allowing the door to slide apart. He stepped in to see Liara standing at her wall of monitors. She had just stopped mid-sentence and had glanced to see him enter with a smile. On the collection of screens in front of her a familiar drell stood leaning against a desk. Behind him the vast length of one of the Citadel arms stretched on until it curved up and out of sight.

Shepard acknowledged Liara with a smile before glancing to the screen and waving. "Feron, it's been a while."

The drell straightened up as Shepard came into view and nodded respectfully. _"Commander Shepard! It's good to see you again."_

"Likewise." Shepard nodded and looked to Liara. "Am I interrupting some important business?"

The asari shook her head. "Not at all, Shepard. Feron and I were just discussing some... changes I've been planning."

Shepard raised a brow. "Oh?"

_"And by discussing... she means I've been trying to convince her that she's put way too much faith into my ability to coordinate an information network as large as ours,"_ Feron mumbled.

Liara glanced back at the screen. "Feron, I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't trust in you and your abilities."

Shepard cleared his throat slightly. "I'd like to point out that I still haven't been filled in on the topic of discussion."

Liara turned back to Shepard with a sigh. "Of course, I'm sorry. I've been trying to convince Feron for the past couple of days to... take over my position as the Broker."

_"And I,"_ Feron quickly added, _"have been trying to point out that I'm just a field agent. I'm pretty sure she's got _at least_ one more doctorate than me."_

Liara crossed her arms. "I'm not asking you to take all of the responsibilities that I handle. Just think of it as _splitting_ the Brokerage with me, but you get the title."

Shepard eyed Liara suspiciously. "I thought you enjoyed being the Shadow Broker. Why hand it off so soon?"

"I..." Liara paused and turned to the commander. "It's... personal, Shepard. I..." The asari glanced back at the monitors quickly, then back to Shepard. "I'll tell you another time. I promise."

_"Alright, alright..."_ Feron let out a sigh and leaned forward onto the desk once again. _"I'll do it. I guess I owe you... both of you... that much. But if I screw something up and start a galactic war I'm not taking the blame."_

Liara smiled and turned her attention back to the monitors. "Thank you, Feron. Sincerely. You're the only person in the network I can trust."

Feron smirked. _"Yeah, yeah. Kill me with kindness, why don't you."_

"I shall. I'll be in touch soon to iron things out." Liara bowed her head slightly.

Feron nodded in return._ "Understood. Have fun on..."_ The drell tapped a few buttons on a screen off camera._ "... Horizon. Wow, this network practically runs itself."_

Shepard chuckled as Liara terminated the call. "Think he'll manage?"

Liara looked to Shepard with a smile. "Most of the network is still dropping in and out of contact. He won't have too much work."

"So, these personal issues..." Shepard began.

"Can we talk about it later?" She gave him an apologetic look.

Shepard stepped forward and took her hands in his. "Sure. I should be up in the CIC now anyway. I've got to issue a few orders before I can pass out."

Liara leaned into him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Go on, then. I could use the rest, too. I'll meet you in your cabin."

* * *

"_All Normandy crew: we will be arriving in the Shadow Sea system in approximately ten minutes."_

Shepard stirred groggily as EDI's voice brought him out of his slumber. He let out a refreshed yawn and rolled over to see Liara already awake and lounging on the couch. Her eyes darted across the screen of the personal datapad in her right hand as she took a small sip from the thermos in her left. Liara shifted her gaze to Shepard as he woke, her lips curling into a smile as she set the datapad on a table in front of her.

"You've been sleeping better," Liara stated as she took another sip.

The commander sat up and turned in place, dropping his feet onto the floor. "Yeah... it's nice not having the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders. Not having to worry about letting so many people down."

Liara tilted her head slightly as she watched him.

Shepard pulled himself to his feet and stretched. "Only ten minutes to Shadow Sea and another thirty or so then to Horizon. I should probably suit up."

Liara, already in her normal mission-ready attire, set her thermos aside and stood with him. "The only information my network has been able to acquire is the location of various deliveries tied to this Cerberus account. Are you expecting a fight?"

"I wasn't expecting a Reaper on Tuchanka. I'm not taking any chances," Shepard responded with a smirk as he pulled on his pants.

"Fair enough. Knowing this colony's luck I wouldn't put it past the Reapers and Cerberus to have joined forces here," Liara joked.

Shepard grinned as he slipped on his shirt. "Javik can only dream."

Liara laughed softly as the two made their way to the elevator.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Sorry for the delay once again... busy week. My goal with these smaller intermediary chapters is to kind of fill in that whole 'Shepard walks around the Normandy and visits the crew' aspect that I feel is missing from a lot of Mass Effect fics that I've read. I'm sure it's not as engrossing as the main plot, so I apologize, but hopefully you all enjoy it to some degree. Big things in store for next chapter, see you then!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Commander Shepard looked down the sights of his M-8 Avenger, bringing his mental state to combat readiness. The moment his eye focused on the digital scope his subconscious military mind took over. He was ready. Shepard lowered his weapon and slung the rifle onto his back. His side-arm was sitting on the table before him, ready and waiting with a fresh thermal clip and clean barrel. The commander reached for the pistol before turning to observe the rest of his team. They were heading into an unknown and he was not about to get them caught with their pants down again. He had spent a portion of the previous day with Kaidan formulating their infiltration strategy.

Long-range scans of the suspected Cerberus facility filled in many of the variables Shepard had hoped for. The base was huge, but nondescript in terms of structures and layout. If anything it looked like an enormous infantry housing and processing center. The wooded valley the base was situated in gave each half of the team two ideal points of insertion: one on either side of the foothills that surrounded the facility to eliminate the possibility of visual contact. Kaidan had pointed out that if the base was even marginally equipped it would have an operational detection system in place. It was a risk they would have to take.

The squad was finishing up their final pre-mission rituals. Liara tapped away at her omnitool, ensuring that everyone was on the correct channel for monitoring communications and life support. Javik slid clip after thermal clip into his belt holster. Kaidan and Garrus laughed and nodded as they chatted, waiting for the call to form up. EDI stood silently to the side with a curious smile as she observed her comrades as intrigued as ever.

Shepard looked down to see his pistol still idle in his hands. He holstered the weapon before addressing the team. "Everyone ready for briefing?"

Squad quickly diverted their attention to the commander, nodding in affirmation.

"Good." Shepard crossed his arms, looking to the faces of his friends. "Since this is Major Alenko's mission, he'll be calling the shots. Major?" The commander turned to Kaidan with a nod.

Kaidan cleared his throat and straightened his stance as he addressed the squad. "Sadly this mission briefing won't be as thorough as I would have liked, but seeing as this is a recon assignment I think that's to be expected. We'll be splitting into two squads: Alpha and Bravo. Alpha squad will consist of Shepard and myself. We'll also be taking EDI with us for her familiarity with Cerberus protocols."

Kaidan looked to the remaining three. "The rest of you will be Bravo, lead by Garrus. The base is located in a valley; each squad will be inserted on either side of the surrounding hills. Alpha squad will be inserted first and head in to provide primary recon. Bravo, I want you to move in close, but stay out of sight. You'll provide backup for our exfil if things go sour."

"Hmph," Garrus chortled, "Kaidan if you keep playing safe and responsibly and you're gonna give the Spectres the wrong reputation."

Kaidan smirked. "Tell you what, Garrus. You actually get that Spectre position and you can play as reckless as you want with your ops."

"That sounded a little too much like an invitation," Shepard grinned.

Kaidan nodded. "Well, that's it, really. Let's play this thing safe."

Shepard nodded. "Let's move, people."

The commander turned and began walking toward their battle-worn, deep red Kodiak. The squad fell into file behind Shepard immediately and the six comrades quickly found themselves boarded and ready for take off. As Shepard closed the access hatch the muffled sound of roaring engines filled the small craft. Cortez glanced back to the squad from the cockpit.

"Here's hoping there aren't any Reapers on Horizon, eh?" The pilot joked with a hint of sincerity.

* * *

The Kodiak hugged the surface of Horizon as it sped toward the Cerberus compound. The shuttle had exited orbit a significant distance from the target in an attempt to minimize the chances of being seen or picked up by scanners. This gave Shepard and his crew a long, quiet shuttle ride through the hills and plains of unsettled Horizon. The dropship's hull cameras fed video of the landscape to the briefing screens inside the craft. Despite having been to the colony twice before, Shepard had never had much time to admire the beauty of the planet. The fields shifted from green to gold and then back again, a mutation that intrigued Shepard. As the shuttle closed in on the target the local flora grew in density until it reached a point that resembled a thick Earthen forest. The tall trees forced the Kodiak to maintain a slightly higher altitude.

"Commander, we're approaching the facility," Cortez reported via the comm. "I've got a visual on a decent LZ. Taking us in."

Shepard looked to EDI and Kaidan and nodded as the three stood and prepared for the insertion.

"Hitting the ground in five."

Shepard tapped the door controls and the hatch began to swing open as the Kodiak descended to a meter off of the ground. EDI and Kaidan jumped from the shuttle and Shepard looked back to his remaining three companions.

"No heroics from you three." Shepard stated, only half joking.

"No promises," Garrus quipped.

Liara smiled softly. "Be safe, Shepard. Good luck."

The commander locked eyes with the asari and smiled in return before looking to Javik, who merely nodded. Shepard turned and jumped down to his squad and like clockwork the Kodiak began to ascend, the door sliding shut. The sun was just beginning to set and the dense forest made light hard to come by. The vegetation on the ground was thick, to say the least. The soft glow of EDI's visor gave the small clearing they stood in an orange tint.

"You doing okay, EDI?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes. I am always excited to test my chassis in new environments," the AI stated with a smile.

Shepard drew his assault rifle, holding it at ease. "Ready for a hike?"

Kaidan grinned. "Beautiful evening. Why not?"

"The base will be located on the far side of this hill," EDI stated, pointing to the north-east.

The trio turned and began the arduous process of moving quickly through thick, foreign vegetation. They had not traveled more than twenty meters before Kaidan had to slice through a patch of vines using his omni-blade. The slicing sound of the microscopically thin blade being forged sent a collection of unseen local fauna scurrying away from the group and into the wilderness. Kaidan waved them forward and back onto the trek up the hillside. A few minutes into their hike a light on Shepard's omnitool changed from red to green. The second squad had landed and was moving toward the compound.

The tree coverage was as thick as Shepard had ever seen a forest. The light of Iera, the system's star, was rapidly fading from holes in the treetops above them. The trio flipped on their personal lights as darkness began to settle around them. As the squad made their way toward the top of the hill in silence Shepard ran through the possibilities of what they might find once they reached the base. At this point he was hoping it was a training facility. They might even be able to help some of the recruits, or kidnapping victims, before they could be transformed into the monsters they had been fighting for months.

"I am picking up an incoming vessel with the Normandy's scanners. Initiating LADAR scan," EDI stated suddenly.

"Where is it?" Kaidan inquired.

"It is entering the atmosphere now and appears to be maintaining a flight path toward the Cerberus facility. The ship's silhouette does not match that of any documented Cerberus combat vessels."

"Supply ship, most likely," Shepard speculated.

"Or reinforcements." Kaidan stated as he came to a stop. "Alright, let's hold for a second. I'll get in touch with Garrus and see how the others are doing."

The three had reached the crest of the hill, though Shepard could only tell because the terrain had leveled off. The tree coverage was thick back down into the valley. However, lights emitting from down the hillside shone through holes in the leaves and branches. They were certainly headed in the right direction. Shepard reached down to his belt and pulled a small canteen from its holding, taking a quick sip before placing it back.

"Garrus, you read?" Kaidan asked to his open comm.

"_Loud and clear,"_ Garrus responded almost immediately.

"What's your status?"

"_Still moving up the hill. Couldn't tell you how close we are to the top, though."_

"We just reached the crest on our side so you're probably getting close. We're gonna start making our way down," Kaidan replied.

"_Acknowledged."_

As Kaidan closed his comm EDI spoke up. "Major Alenko, I am intercepting comm traffic from the facility."

Shepard glanced toward the AI. "Anything useful?"

"The only information I can confirm is that they have a security force. However, I have noticed an anomaly. Cerberus security regulations maintain that when individual soldiers are referenced, they be referred to by either a call sign or their operating number. The soldiers at this facility are referred to by one another and their superiors by name."

"Strange," Kaidan pondered aloud. "Are you sure Cerberus regulations haven't changed since they started 'enhancing' their personnel?"

EDI nodded. "Yes. In fact, the practice of dehumanization of Cerberus foot soldiers through various means, not just identification, has become standard since Shepard went rogue from the organization."

"Went rogue? I told the Illusive Man from day one that I wasn't a part of Cerberus," Shepard interjected.

"I am aware, Shepard." EDI stated calmly. "However, I speculate that he had hoped to make you a believer in his cause by the end of your mission. When he failed, he did not want to run the risk of free-will interfering with his soldiers again."

Kaidan retrieved his rifle. "Let's keep moving. We'll find out what's going on here soon enough."

The squad formed up and began their hike down the hill. The practice of hiking up and down a forested hill in the dead of night brought Shepard back to Interplanetary Combatives Training. Working for his N1 designation seemed a hundred years ago now. Shepard smiled to himself. He wondered what happened to the other graduates of his ICT class. Shepard, Kaidan and EDI were moving in near silence down the hill when the faint sounds of surface-level ship thrusters began to fade in from behind them. Shepard had glanced up and back toward the crest of the hill when a sudden burst of noise and light erupted and soared over them. The squad knelt down instinctively as the light of burning thrusts passed over them, sending the trees around them shaking in the wake.

Shepard glanced to EDI. "Guess that's the ship you tagged earlier."

"We've gotta move fast," Kaidan stated intently. "I want to know what that ship is carrying."

Shepard nodded and the three set forth at a hurried pace, slicing through vegetation as needed. The sound and light from the ship had come to a halt a few hundred meters ahead of them. At the very least they were approaching the facility's dock. Shepard held his rifle at the ready as they moved onward. As they grew closer to the facility less and less flora stood to shield their view. Light from the base and the now landed ship illuminated the forest around them. Kaidan raised his hand, ordering the group to halt a few dozen meters from what appeared to be a six or seven foot wall. The squad found cover behind a particularly thick tree trunk.

"EDI, are you getting anything new on the comms?" Shepard queried.

"I have picked up a transmission informing someone known as the "Watchman" that the transport has arrived," EDI informed them.

Kaidan was leaning around the tree, using the scope on his assault rifle. "Hey, I think I see a way in. It looks like a maintenance door. It's pretty close to where that ship set down."

"I should be able to hack past any security the door may have," EDI stated.

Shepard looked to Kaidan. "Any visible security on the walls?"

"Hmm..." Kaidan scanned the length of the visible wall. "No... no watch towers. No security cameras by the look of it."

"Sounds too good to be true. EDI, watch for anything suspicious and keep monitoring the comm traffic," Shepard stated as he looked back to the AI.

"Of course, Shepard."

Kaidan lowered his rifle and turned back to the others. "Ready to move?"

Shepard and EDI nodded in affirmation and Kaidan stood, raising his rifle to the ready. The commander and AI readied themselves, Kaidan looking back at them once more. They rounded the tree on Kaidan's lead and began their run for the wall. The squad covered the roughly thirty meters in near silence, each of them sliding into position at the side of the maintenance door. EDI stepped up the security panel and began working.

Shepard raised his comm, speaking in a whisper. "Garrus, what's your status?"

"_We're nearing the facility. Gonna hold right on the edge of the forest. How's security?"_ Garrus responded quietly.

"Outside? Non-existent," Shepard said warily.

"_Hmm, alright... just let us know if you need the support and we'll find a way in."_

"Affirmative. We're about to enter the compound. Alpha, out."

"I have bypassed he lock," EDI reported. "I am ready to open the door on your command."

Shepard and Kaidan raised their rifles and assumed their positions on either side of the door. Kaidan nodded to EDI. "Do it."

The security panel chimed and flickered to green as the door slid apart. As it did the bright, artificial illumination of tall flood lights burst through the doorway. Kaidan and Shepard squinted and shielded their eyes, not expecting the blinding intensity. As Shepard's eyes began to adjust he forced himself to look back into the light and whipped his rifle to attention as he saw three figures standing on the other side of the doorway.

"You know, traditionally you're not supposed to greet old friends by pointing guns at 'em. Or by breaking into their place."

Shepard grinned as his eyes focused on the middle figure in front of him, his arm hoisting his rifle up and resting it on his shoulder. "Well if you called more often maybe I would've known what you were up to, Jacob."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Too tired for witty remark. See you next week!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Jacob glanced back to the guardsmen flanking him and nodded them off.

"You know Shepard, you're not as discrete as you think you are," Jacob mused with a grin.

Shepard slung his rifle onto his back and stepped through the doorway, moving forward to shake Jacob's hand firmly. EDI holstered her pistol and followed closely behind. Kaidan, on the other hand, lowered his weapon, but remained alerted. He stepped through the door after the other two, eyeing Shepard and Jacob cautiously.

Shepard crossed his arms. "You know, I think I've heard that before. Maybe I should just stick to running in guns blazing."

"Heh. Well that is certainly more your style," Jacob responded. He glanced to Shepard's companions as they joined the commander's side.

Shepard glanced to his left. "Jacob, this is Major Kaidan Alenko. He's a Spectre."

Jacob's face turned serious as he straightened up, snapping a sharp salute. "I've heard a lot about you, Major Alenko. It's an honor to meet you."

Kaidan returned the salute warily. "Thanks... the Alliance has quite the file on you as well, mister Taylor. You're not exactly the typical Cerberus operative."

Jacob smirked. "Which is probably why I haven't been one for quite a while now."

Shepard looked over to EDI. "Jacob, I believe you already know EDI."

Jacob blinked in disbelief. "EDI...?"

The AI smiled and nodded. "Hello, Mister Taylor. It is a pleasure to see you again."

Kaidan cleared his throat slightly. "Sorry, I don't mean to cut this reunion short or anything... but I just want to make sure we're on the same page here. This is _not_ a Cerberus facility?"

Jacob chuckled. "Well that depends. Is it run by Cerberus? Hell no. Does it exist because Cerberus had deep pockets? Can't say no to that."

"Well on that note," Shepard started, "I think it's time I asked what this _is_, Jacob. What are you doing out here?"

"I can answer that," an accented voice chimed in.

Shepard looked to see Miranda Lawson standing off to the side and leaning against one of the prefab buildings. Miranda wore a confident smile as she straightened up and walked toward the group.

The commander smirked and turned to meet her half way. "Miranda. I was hoping you might be hanging around."

"_Hanging around?_" Miranda asked almost indignantly. "Who do you think is running this operation?"

Shepard held out a hand. "It's good to see you."

The ebony-haired woman smiled and took his hand. "Same to you, commander."

As Shepard turned back to Jacob and his squad a uniformed woman hurried to Jacob's side. The woman pointed back toward the recently arrive transport, which Jacob responded to with a curt nod.

"Hey, I gotta take care of these new arrivals," Jacob stated regretfully. "Miranda, you got things handled here?"

Miranda nodded once. "Of course. I'll take them to my office."

EDI and Kaidan had joined Shepard's side, both of them watching Miranda. EDI looked thoughtfully, as she often did, to the "new" face. Kaidan, on the other hand, still wore a cautious expression. He wasted no time introducing himself to the self-proclaimed head of the facility.

"Miranda Lawson, was it?" Kaidan queried.

Miranda turned her attention to the Spectre. "That's right. And you're Major Kaidan Alenko. Second human Spectre, if my sources are accurate. Congratulations on the appointment."

"Thanks," Kaidan replied. He realized that he was still holding his rifle. He tried his best not to look sheepish as he slid the rifle onto his back.

Shepard looked to EDI and was opening his mouth to introduce her as the AI stepped forward and extended her hand. "Greetings, Ms. Lawson. I do not believe we have exchanged pleasantries since your departure from the Normandy's crew."

Miranda eyed EDI up and down slowly, her lips still curled into a smile. "I'd heard rumors about what became of the Coré Project. From one person designed to be perfect to another... you're looking good these days, EDI." Miranda slowly extended her hand, grasping and shaking that of the AI.

EDI smiled in amusement. "You appear aesthetically cohesive as well, Ms. Lawson."

As Shepard watched the greeting a green light began flashing on his omnitool. He glanced down to see a status report request from Bravo squad pending. "Hey Kaidan... I think Garrus might want to know that the situation is under control."

Kaidan shook his head and raised his omnitool. "Garrus, this is Kaidan. Call in Cortez to extract you three and bring you back to the ship."

"_...What?" _A clearly confused Garrus responded.

"We're not dealing with hostiles. I'll give you all a full debriefing back on the Normandy once we've got everything squared away."

"_You said non-hostiles?"_

"Yes..."

"_Well... I'm glad Liara convinced me not to snipe this sentry sleeping on duty."_

Shepard shook his head with a grin and raised his comm as well. "Pack it up, Vakarian. We'll see you three back on the Normandy."

"_Acknowledged. Bravo out."_

Miranda and EDI stood patiently watching the two Spectres as they cut their comm signals. Miranda gave a small smirk. "It's getting a bit muggy out, no? Why don't we head to my office and I'll try to answer any questions you might have for your investigation."

Without waiting for a response Miranda turned and began walking into the complex of buildings. Shepard and his squad quickly fell into file behind her. The compound was made up entirely of standard prefab units most often found on the frontier worlds. However, there was a distinct variety in the designs and placement of the units.

"Wait a second," Kaidan began. "How do you know we're here on an investigation?"

Miranda glanced back briefly. "Numerous reasons. The most significant being that I have a digital copy of the Spectre mission assignment that you accepted five days ago."

"How the hell do you have access to-"

Miranda stopped Kaidan mid-sentence. "Money. And with that comes virtually any information I need. I've even consulted with the Shadow Broker once or twice..."

Shepard pretended not to notice the comment. "It's only been... what... nine days since the Battle of Earth. Has all of this been constructed since then?"

Miranda lead the group into a courtyard, nodding in response to Shepard's question. "Pretty much. I've had the plans ready for much longer, of course. These prefab units are incredibly fast and easy to work with."

"I can't help but notice that most of them seem unoccupied..." Kaidan stated, leading Miranda on.

"Well of course. We only finished construction on this facility twenty hours ago," Miranda responded.

Miranda lead the group up a ramp and came to a stop at the door of a rather large unit. She tapped one button on the security panel and pressed her hand to the scanner. The door chimed as the light in the center turned green and slid apart, allowing the group to enter. The inside of the large prefab unit was as sleek and spacious as Cerberus could be. In the center of the room sat a long, metal desk, which Miranda immediately walked to. She rounded the desk and slid into the large, padded chair that sat behind the desk, nodding to the two chairs on the opposite side. As the door slid shut behind them Shepard turned to EDI. The AI smiled and held out her hand to one of the chairs.

"You may have the seat, Shepard. I will stand." EDI answered before Shepard could ask his question.

Kaidan and Shepard seated themselves across the desk from Miranda as EDI stood to the side of Shepard's chair with perfect posture.

"Nice office," Shepard commented as he observed the room.

"Hmm," Miranda acknowledged. "Thank you."

Miranda glanced to Kaidan before looking down to her desk and letting out a light sigh. "I was hoping the Council wouldn't have the resources to investigate my operation. At least not so soon. But if they had to send someone then I'm glad it was the Normandy."

"How long have you known we were coming?" Kaidan inquired, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Well we've known _someone_ was coming for days. We didn't know it was you until we intercepted your comms after you landed." Miranda adjusted herself in her seat.

Shepard glanced back to EDI. "We weren't running on encrypted channels?"

Miranda injected before EDI could respond. "Of course you were. But I've got quite a bit of experience dealing with the Normandy's communication protocols. It only took a minute or two to crack the encryption." A cocky smile crept onto Miranda's lips.

Kaidan sat up, slightly irritated. "You couldn't have told us it was you?"

"I didn't know how far you would go," Miranda retorted. "There was a chance you might declare this place a non-threat and leave us be."

"Well you know what, Ms. Lawson, I'm not entirely convinced there isn't a threat here. What exactly are you doing here?" Kaidan was clearly ready to begin his investigation.

Miranda narrowed her eyes. "Fine."

She stood and turned to a large holo-projector behind her, entering a few commands. The screen blinked on, displaying what appeared to be a map of the compound.

"This place is... many things," Miranda began as she turned back to her guests. "The compound you're in now is barely more than a test for what is to come. But... I'm getting ahead of myself. I should probably start from the beginning."

Kaidan and Shepard exchanged glances as Miranda spoke. "I've been laying these plans out since we took out Sanctuary and my father. I "inherited" quite a bit of money that day. A week or two later I learned that the Alliance had assaulted Cronos Station and I knew it would only be a matter of time before Cerberus collapsed. As their network digressed into chaos I gained access to their hidden accounts and froze them."

"I can't imagine that was easy. The Illusive Man always seemed to like his security tight," Shepard commented.

"He did," Miranda agreed. "But I knew far, far more about every aspect of Cerberus than the Illusive Man ever knew. And as a result I found that money would not be an obstacle for my plans."

"Which were?" EDI interrupted. The three humans glanced curiously at the AI to see her leaning forward in anticipation for Miranda to continue.

Miranda gave a slight smirk to the AI's curiosity. "I had known my father was up to no good with Sanctuary from the moment I learned of his involvement. It made me... sad. The idea of Sanctuary was a noble one; a place where refugees could escape the horrors of the Reapers and begin anew. And that, in short, is what this is."

"A refugee camp?" Kaidan asked.

"No, no. It's much more than that," Miranda answered with a soft smile. "It's a colony. A place where we can start to rebuild now that our galaxy is safe. We have virtually endless farmland beyond these hills mapped for settlement. This place, Compound Dawn, is really nothing more than a processing facility for the new colonists."

"That's... a noble endeavor," Kaidan admitted. "But why the secrecy?"

Miranda shook her head. "Multiple reasons. The most obvious being that, given their track record, the Council might be suspicious of a "colony" being funded by Cerberus. On top of that, with this operation kept secret, we can avoid a massive influx of refugees we simply can't handle..."

Shepard raised a brow as Miranda trailed off. "...And?"

"And..." Miranda closed her eyes. "I just want to do this my way. No interference from governments or bureaucrats. At least not until we're established and on our feet."

Kaidan shook his head slightly. "I'll admit I wasn't expecting to find something good here when this mission started."

Miranda took a seat and met both Spectre's eyes. "Look, I didn't mean to cause such a fuss with all of this. I was hoping everyone would be too busy cleaning up the Reapers to notice a relative trickle of credits from Cerberus's pockets."

Everyone remained silent for a few moments. Shepard glanced to Kaidan expectantly. The major sat silently, his eyes locked on Miranda as she met his gaze. Eventually Kaidan straightened up in his seat and took a deep breath.

"I think this might actually be a good idea, Ms. Lawson," Kaidan finally spoke.

Miranda's face lightened. "I... thank you. I wasn't expecting either of you to approve."

"Unfortunately the Council is going to want to know what we found here," Shepard reminded them.

"Exactly," Kaidan agreed.

Miranda pressed a finger thoughtfully to her lips. "You could report that you wiped out what you found."

"Which would work until they realized that you're still drawing funds from Cerberus. Even if you found a way to mask the transactions they would notice you once this place takes off," Shepard quickly noted.

Kaidan shrugged lightly. "I could... stay on Horizon for a little while. Tell them I need more time for my investigation."

Miranda shook her head. "You can't... you're a Spectre. You have responsibilities. I can't ask you to sit around doing nothing just because your report would interfere with my plans."

"Well... he doesn't have to sit around doing nothing," Shepard stated as both Miranda and Kaidan looked to him curiously. "Kaidan, if you're really that supportive of the idea why not lend a hand?"

"That's... an interesting proposition. But I don't even know the details here." Kaidan looked to Miranda.

Miranda brushed a lock of dark hair from her face. "I could give you a run-down of everything if you'd like-"

The door behind them chimed softly and slid apart as Miranda finished, causing the four to turn and see Jacob standing in the doorway. He nodded once and took a step into the office.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting..." Jacob started.

"Not at all. Actually, I was about to ask Shepard if he would like to look over the compound while I showed Spectre Alenko our long-term plans. Perhaps you could show him around?" Miranda glanced to Shepard for his response.

The commander nodded and stood without hesitation. "Sounds good to me."

Jacob smiled and crossed his arms. "I can manage that. Maybe Shepard can tell me all about this most recent time he saved all life in the galaxy. Ya know, catch up."

Shepard chuckled and turned back to EDI who had already taken Shepard's seat and was looking to the commander. "I will stay here, if that is alright with Miranda and Kaidan. I would like to learn more about this colony."

"Of course," Miranda said with a smile. "If anyone is going to find a technical or logistical flaw it's you. Why not?"

Shepard turned back to Jacob who motioned toward the door. "After you, Shepard. I can't wait to hear this one."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I've got a bit of a busy week coming up (moving half way across the country) so the next chapter might take a bit longer than usual. And now: sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"That's it?" Jacob laughed. "You pushed a button?"

Shepard grinned as the two walked through an archway and into the processing area they had met in earlier. "Were you not listening to what happened _before_ that?"

"Psh, I was there! Maybe I wasn't rushing that beam, but I saw my share of action in London."

Shepard came to a stop with Jacob coming to rest beside him. "Yeah, you did. You're a good man, Jacob. I'm glad I had you there to watch my back."

Jacob crossed his arms. "Honestly, Shepard... I wasn't fighting just for you."

The commander smiled. "How's Brynn doing, by the way?"

The ex-Cerberus operative smiled and looked down. "Great. She's here, probably asleep already. We've got a nice plot picked out and everything."

"It's kind of hard to believe, isn't it?" Shepard took a deep breath. "We actually did it."

Jacob glanced back up, a half smile draped across his face. "Yeah. I guess we did. But I think everyone owes a bit more thanks to you than me. Or anyone else for that matter."

Shepard glanced up into the night sky. Horizon was virtually devoid of pollution and with few lights to drown them out a blanket of stars stretched over them as far as the eye could see.

"Everyone sacrificed for this. Some far more than I did. I just hope everyone remembers that." Shepard turned his attention back to Jacob.

"I don't think that's going to be an issue, Shepard." Jacob nodded toward the processing area. "You know... someone you might wanna see arrived earlier today."

The commander raised a brow. "Is that so?"

Jacob smiled. "Let's go ask processing where they stuck her."

* * *

Jacob led Shepard down a long hallway lined with dozens of number adorned doors. It reminded him of a very white, sterile hotel. According to Jacob it was the temporary housing for new arrivals until their permanent units were ready. Jacob came to a stop and nodded to a door marked "142" as he pressed the 'doorbell' on the holographic panel. The circle hummed softly and as it spun, waiting for the occupant of the room to respond. After a few seconds the lock chimed and turned green, allowing the metallic doorway to slide apart. Shepard smiled as a clearly exhausted Kelly Chambers stood to greet them, her face lighting up as she caught the first glimpse of her friends.

"Commander Shepard!" The redhead jumped forward and embraced the commander warmly. Shepard returned the hug with a laugh before she pulled herself off of him, her smile glowing brightly.

"Surprised?" Shepard mused.

"Am I! Jacob said this place was supposed to be a secret... at least for now." Kelly glanced to Jacob with a smirk.

"Don't look at me," Jacob said with a grin. "Miranda needs to work on her money laundering skills."

Kelly giggled softly and nodded back to the small room behind her. "Would you like to come in? I was about to have some tea."

Shepard and Jacob nodded thankfully as Kelly turned and led the two into her room. Shepard's analogy of a hotel held up inside the rooms as well. The room was sparse, but he had expected that much from a building on a few days old. A nondescript bed sat on the far side of the room. Upon it a pair of small packs lay open and half full of clothes. A small dining table was folded out from the wall with a chair on each of the three accessible sides. Kelly leaned over the table, removed the lid of a thermos and pulled three cups from a small compartment that the table appeared to fold over. Shepard and Jacob sat themselves in two of the chairs as Kelly poured them each a small cup of tea before pouring her own and sitting in the unoccupied seat.

"Sorry it's not very cozy... I only moved in a few hours ago," Kelly lamented bashfully.

"Don't worry, Ms. Chambers... er, Kelly... we'll have your unit done in a day or two." Jacob stretched his shoulders as he spoke. He looked as though he had had a long day.

Shepard took a sip of his tea. "How are you doing, Kelly? I didn't expect to see you way out here."

Kelly smiled thoughtfully as she took a sip from her own cup. "I'm doing wonderfully! But I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here?"

"Recon mission investigating some suspicious ex-Cerberus activity. Clearly it's not quite of the severity we anticipated." Shepard grinned. "Eager to ease into colonial life?"

Kelly smiled and shook her head. "Actually, I'm here to serve as the colony's therapist. Well, one of a few, I suppose."

"Oh?" Shepard perked a brow as he took another sip of tea.

"Miranda and I thought she did an excellent job on the Normandy SR-2," Jacob stated. "Why not keep the whole gang together?"

Kelly blushed softly. "That means a lot to me, Jacob. And so does the chance to do something for these poor refugees. I won't let you and Miranda down."

"I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job, Kelly," Shepard said with a smile as he finished his small cup of tea.

"It was hard having to sit on the sidelines while you saved the galaxy again, commander." Kelly looked woefully into the small puddle of liquid remaining in the bottom of her glass. "Every time I saw a report about you on the news I wished I had taken up your offer to rejoin the crew. Hopefully I can make up for it here."

"A lot of these new colonists have been to hell and back," Jacob stated while finishing off his drink. "They're gonna need someone like you to be there for them."

Kelly smiled softly. "I'll do my best."

Shepard smiled and rose to his feet with Jacob doing the same. "I know you will, Kelly. Sadly, I think Jacob and I need to get back to Miranda."

Kelly stood and gave the commander another warm hug. "It was really nice seeing you again, commander."

Shepard returned the hug and nodded. "Likewise, Ms. Chambers."

* * *

Shepard and Jacob walked through the complex in silence. Shepard's mind was racing about the past few days and everything that had taken place. He had barely been on this mission for more than a few days and it already felt like weeks. He glanced to Jacob as they approached Miranda's office. He was clearly dead tired and Shepard hadn't felt the need to force any conversation on a man who had probably been awake and working for more than twenty four hours straight.

The two stopped and turned to one another as they reached Miranda's office. Jacob smiled wearily. "I hate to do it, commander, but I should probably say goodbye. I've had what you'd call a long day."

The commander nodded. "It was good seeing you, Jacob. I'm glad you've found some peace out here."

"I hope you found that peace too, Shepard. God knows you deserve it." The men snapped each other instinctive salutes before reached to shake each other's hands.

Jacob nodded and turned back toward the center of the facility as Shepard began walking up to Miranda's prefab. He noticed the office door was unlocked as he climbed the ramp and reached to open it. The door slid apart and he stepped in to see Miranda and Kaidan leaning over a large digital map on the desk. EDI stood to the side observing as well.

"Commander. Welcome back." Miranda barely glanced up from the map as she greeted him.

Kaidan finished analyzing a point of interest that he and Miranda had been discussing before looking up. "You should take a look at this, Shepard. It's a hell of an undertaking."

Shepard smirked as he came to stand at the side of the desk. "I'll take your word for it."

"Heh, yeah, I'm actually pretty impressed." Kaidan glanced across the map once again.

Shepard looked to Kaidan, waiting a moment before speaking. "So have you decided what to do about..."

"Yeah. I think I have." Kaidan straightened up and turned his attention back to Shepard. "I think I'm going to stay here for a while. I'll tell the Council I need some more time for my investigation. I think there's a lot of good to come from this place."

"Which means you'll be doing what, exactly?" Shepard inquired as he glanced between Kaidan and Miranda.

"Well," Miranda began, "We both agreed that having a Spectre around would make any off-colony errands much easier. I was planning on having Major Alenko be our unofficial ambassador to the outside world. At least for the time being."

Shepard glanced to EDI. "What do you think, EDI?"

The AI smiled as she was addressed. "I think it is an admirable idea. Kaidan takes after your diplomatic approach to solving problems. I think he would be an excellent liaison."

The commander turned back to Kaidan. "So you're really gonna do this?"

The new Spectre took a long breath as he collected his words. "Shepard, you know how it is being a soldier. We're expected to fight until the end. I'm not trying to dodge that responsibility, but I think I'm ready to fight to protect these people in a different way. I wanna help in a way that isn't just killing. I mean, they may have hated me last time I had this kind of assignment on Horizon, but I really felt like I was _doing_ something."

Commander Shepard walked from the side of the table to Kaidan and Miranda. "I expect this place to put all other post-war colonies to shame when I come back in a few months."

Miranda grinned. "If that's a challenge then I gladly accept."

Shepard smiled and shook the hands of each of his friends. "I mean it... I foresee great things for this place. I know you two can make them happen."

Kaidan gave Shepard a slap on the shoulder and smirked. "Sounds like you're stalling, commander."

The commander chuckled and walked back around the table to where EDI stood. "I guess I've never liked goodbyes. How about I just say... until next time?"

"Plan on it," Kaidan replied with a smile. "Tell the crew I'll send a vid saying goodbye. And you take care, too, EDI."

EDI tilted her head to the side ever-so-slightly. "You as well, Kaidan. And it was good to see you, Miranda."

Miranda nodded. "EDI, Shepard. Stay safe. And good luck with the quarians." Miranda winked knowingly.

EDI and Shepard waved before turning to leave through the automatically opening door. As the human and synthetic reached the bottom of the ramp Shepard turned to EDI. The AI smiled and responded before he could speak.

"I've already sent a message to Lieutenant Cortez requesting a pickup," she stated.

"On the ball as always, EDI." Shepard said as the two began their walk back to the shuttle pads.

EDI watched him curiously as they walked. "Shepard? Is there something on your mind?"

The commander glanced to his companion and shrugged. "I've seen a lot of old friends come and go the past few days. It's nice to see them, but it's a little sad to say goodbye so quickly."

"I am not sure I can relate to the sentiment, but I do understand it."

"I guess you perceive time a bit differently from organics, huh?"

EDI nodded. "Yes. I suppose that might be part of it."

As the two reached the large, open area the transport craft had landed in earlier Shepard found himself looking up into the sky. It was the dead of night now and he was looking forward to some rest back on board the Normandy. He glanced over to EDI as she stood patiently, her eyes darting to and from various pieces of equipment scattered around the makeshift shuttle pad. After a minute or two of waiting the rumble of the Kodiak burst over the treeline and into the valley, following after the small shuttle that had begun its descent. The door opened as the craft leveled off a few feet from the ground, allowing EDI and Shepard to leap aboard.

"Where's Major Alenko?" Cortez asked from the cockpit.

"He's staying. Just me and EDI coming home this time."

"Roger that, sir." Cortez tapped a button and the large door slid shut.

Shepard dropped onto one of the benches, leaning his head back as the Kodiak rapidly began gaining altitude. He was starting to feel a little down... not something he normally felt after a successful mission. He almost would have preferred a fight with Cerberus to so many goodbyes. Shepard shook his head in slight frustration at his own feelings before shutting his eyes. Maybe there would be something to fight on Palaven to take his mind off of things.

* * *

**Author's Note**

This chapter presupposes that Kelly Chambers at some point assumed her old identity and hair color.

Whew, talk about a busy couple of weeks. I hope you all enjoyed the read. Now that I have the time to write I'll probably be hammering out maybe two chapters a week.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Okay, Miranda and Jacob I can see... but Kaidan staying to help them? That guy is by the books... I don't believe it."

Garrus stood at the bar in the Normandy's lounge, pouring himself a drink as Shepard and Liara sat on the nearby loveseat. After recounting the events that had taken place earlier Shepard wasn't surprised that Garrus was doubtful of the situation. He would have been as well.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either." Shepard took a sip of his own drink. "I must be a bad influence. You serve with me and end up quitting C-Sec to become a vigilante. Liara leaves archeology for shady information dealing."

"Part-time now, thank you," Liara corrected him with a grin.

"And I'm a respectable member of the turian military." Garrus sat down in the chair across from the others and shrugged. "Or something."

Shepard chuckled lightly. "Alright, fine. We'll call it a net even."

"In all seriousness though, it sounds like an interesting idea. I hope it works out." Garrus took a long gulp of his drink, let out a refreshed 'ahhh' as he finished.

"I agree," Liara commented. "I always felt like Kaidan was looking for something more. Hopefully he'll find it in helping those people."

"Aaand he gets to work with Miranda again." Garrus noted. "I've never been that into human women, but I think I know enough about them to say she was quiiite the looker."

"Garrus!" Liara grinned. "I don't think Tali would appreciate that."

The turian shrugged and finished off his drink in what was only his third big sip. "Well she doesn't hold a candle to Tali. Not that either of you two would know."

Shepard laughed. "Hey now, I think I saw her nose back on Rannoch."

Garrus chuckled as he pulled himself to his feet. "Well I've seen a _bit _more than that and I can safely say it's worth the look. Now if you'll excuse me, I should retire for the evening. It's been a long day."

Shepard nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I think I'm ready to call it as well. Liara?"

The asari had already started to stand. "One step ahead of you."

Shepard finished off the last of his drink and set the glass on the bar before turning and following Liara and Garrus into the hall. Garrus turned at the elevator and waved his hand back toward the others. Shepard and Liara called goodnight as they continued on to the lift and tapped the call button. The door parted a few seconds later and the two boarded, tapping the button for Shepard's cabin.

"So Joker has already set course for Palaven?" Liara inquired as the elevator promptly rose through the ship.

"Yep. Little over a day from now we'll be entering the Trebia System."

Shepard glanced to her with a smile as the elevator pinged and stopped at the top level of the ship. He let out an exasperated sigh as he slowly lumbered from the elevator into his cabin. Liara placed a hand gently on his shoulder as she followed close behind him.

Shepard glanced down at his sweaty under-armor fatigues. "Uggh. Long day in armor. I might take a quick shower."

Liara gave him a sideways glance and mischievous grin. "Go hop in. Maybe I'll join you."

The commander blinked and quickly rid himself of his shirt while walking toward his bathroom. "Did I say a quick shower? I meant a long, borderline irresponsible for the water supply shower."

* * *

Garrus let out a relaxed sigh as he leaned back on the couch in the starboard observation room. "So is this what peace is like? It's been so damn long I'm not sure I remember."

Shepard stood by the window, looking out into the great abyss. "You're tellin' me."

"Well technically it's been longer for me. I wasn't dead for two years, after all."

Shepard shook his head with a smirk. "So I assume you've been in contact with your father and sister?"

"Yep. And they're safe in a refugee camp in the Sorithus Valley." Garrus suddenly let his voice change to a more serious tone. "They've said that... the fighting is still pretty bad on Palaven. The Reapers that stayed behind during the Battle of Earth didn't leave."

Shepard turned back to the turian with a look of concern. "Is Palaven safe?"

"Of course. Our fleet took out the ones in orbit in a matter of hours. But the little bastards on the surface ordering the ground troops around... they've been the hard part." Garrus looked down.

"Read any of the official reports? How's the fight going?" Shepard crossed the room and dropped into a seat next to the couch.

"We're doing fine." The turian let out a sigh. "We'll get it done eventually. I just hope my people are prepared for what comes after..."

"Rebuilding?"

Garrus shook his head. "Turians are warriors. And this has been one hell of a war. I just hope our priorities are straight afterward. I don't want resources going into bolstering our fleet or armies when we need to make our own home livable again."

Shepard shrugged. "You've got a lot of pull now. Keep them in line."

"Yeah... we'll see." Garrus stood and looked to Shepard. "We're probably getting close and I want to be on the bridge when we enter orbit. Just in case there are security concerns."

Shepard stood as well and the two walked to the door. "You're forgetting the benefits of traveling with a Spectre. Benefits _you_ could have if you really wanted them."

"What are you, a Spectre recruiter now?" Garrus gave him a joking glance.

"Sorry, sorry." Shepard grinned as they stepped in front of the elevator, waiting for the car to arrive.

"I'm just messing around. I'll return their calls eventually," Garrus mused as they entered the elevator.

"I hope so. Someone's gotta take on the crazy stuff after I retire." Shepard leaned back against the wall of the elevator as it began to ascend to the CIC.

"Retire?" Garrus glanced to him questioningly.

Shepard shrugged. "I mean, I'm going to have to eventually. I can only die so many times."

The two exited the elevator as the door opened to reveal the CIC and began their walk up to the bridge. Shepard looked to the each member of the crew that they passed by, nodding and smiling occasionally. He hoped Garrus wasn't reading too much into his mention of retirement. He wasn't about to start thinking about that yet. He still had a mission to finish. Shepard and Garrus made their way up to the cockpit, stopping behind Joker's chair.

Joker glanced over his shoulder as he heard them approaching. "Hey Commander. Garrus."

Outside the viewports Shepard could see Palaven rapidly approaching. The space around the planet, while not as bad as Earth, was littered with dead turian warships and Reaper corpses alike. The surface of the planet itself also still wore a few dots of orange and red conflagration that burned away at whatever city had been unfortunate enough to host them. Shepard glanced to Garrus. The turian barely seemed phased by the utter devastation of his own homeworld. Garrus either knew how to suppress his emotions well or had already mourned the loss of his planet months ago.

"Any word from Palaven?" Garrus inquired.

"Just an ID request. They seemed satisfied with the response." Joker smirked as he checked over the engine coolant levels.

"Good. I've got the coordinates for the refugee camp where my family's staying." Garrus pulled up his omnitool. "Sending it now."

"_Received. Thank you, Garrus."_ EDI's voice emanated from seemingly nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

Joker looked over to the navigation console with the updated waypoint and nodded. "Alright, looks like we'll be within range of a shuttle launch in about ten minutes."

Garrus turned to Shepard. "You should probably suit up. Palaven has radiation levels that I don't think humans can handle."

The commander nodded. "Will do. I'll meet you in the shuttle bay."

Garrus said while putting a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "Thank you for doing this for me, by the way. You didn't have to fly us all the way out here."

Shepard smiled. "You'd have done it for me."

"Damn right I would have."

* * *

Shepard and Liara stepped out of the elevator fully suited, helmets at their sides. Garrus waved them over to the idling Kodiak as Cortez leapt inside and prepared for departure. Shepard smiled as he approached Garrus.

"Liara, you coming too?" Garrus looked to his friends with appreciation.

"Of course." Liara smiled to the turian.

Garrus turned and jumped up into the Kodiak, offering a helping hand up to both of his friends. Liara took the hand, followed by Shepard and the trio quickly seated themselves after shutting the hatch.

"Hey Cortez!" Garrus called into the cockpit. "Let's get this over with!"

"Can do!"

The Kodiak quickly disembarked from the Normandy and began its descent to the surface of Palaven. Shepard and Liara both watched Garrus as he looked to the floor, muttering under his breath.

Shepard cleared his throat slightly. "Garrus... everything okay?"

The turian looked up. "Huh? Oh.. sorry. Just a little... nervous I guess."

Liara raised a brow. "Garrus Vakarian... nervous? I didn't think it was possible."

"I've never had the best relationship with my father and my sister is just a big old bundle of emotions. So yeah, just a little nervous."

Shepard looked down to his helmet. "Well if makes you feel any better we'll be right there with you."

Garrus chuckled slightly. "Relax. I can handle it."

Shepard and Liara donned their helmets as the Kodiak entered the atmosphere and looked to the vid feed of the rapidly approaching surface. Shepard recalled Liara's mention of the mountains on Palaven and quickly saw why she had such a specific memory. The mountain range the Sorithus Valley was nestled in was breathtaking. Given the apparent lack of a significant population, Shepard guessed the mountains on Palaven made up some of the only land not annihilated by the Reapers.

"Be in the refuge camp in about one minute," Cortez called from the cockpit.

Garrus took a deep breath and pull himself to his feet, grabbing hold of a rail on the ceiling for balance. Shepard and Liara soon joined him as the Kodiak grew closer and closer to the ground. Shepard felt the landing thrusters kick in as the green light on the door panel illuminated. Garrus tapped the panel, opening the hatch and presenting the trio with a staggering sight. Miles upon miles of prefab units filled their view as far as the eye could see. Shepard estimated they extended all the way to the edge of the valley some five kilometers away. The Kodiak was descending into a field of landing pads blanketed in shuttles loading and unloading cargo and refugees. Hundreds of people moved about the maze of supplies and vessels, all seemingly with a destination in mind. As the dropship touched down Garrus immediately leapt to the ground and waved Shepard an Liara after him.

"Come on!" Garrus had to shout to be heard over the dozens of nearby dropships and shuttles. "They said they would meet me at the processing facility nearby!"

Shepard and Liara dropped down and followed close behind Garrus as he began moving. Shepard looked to Liara and activated their personal comms.

"What do you think a 'processing facility' consists of in this place?"

The asari glanced back to him. "I suppose we'll find out."

"Cortez, keep the engines running," Shepard transmitted.

"_Affirmative, sir."_

The crowd of refugees was tough to walk through at times. Shepard could clearly identify the groups of civilians that were missing one or more of those who would have normally been together. He tore his eyes away after only a minute or two and focused on Garrus as he lead them to a large prefab building at the edge of the field of landing pads. A huge line made up mostly of turians snaked out of the large double doors at the entrance. Garrus marched by them, never breaking from his stride toward the doors. As he stepped into the building with Shepard and Liara in tow he began scanning the room. Half of the massive hall was filled with benches for what Shepard guessed were the many hours long waits that occurred inside.

"There..." Garrus nodded to the corner of the room.

Shepard looked to see a visibly older looking turian sitting with his head lowered. Standing beside him was a turian female, her gaze aimlessly drifting until happening upon Garrus. Garrus quickly began pushing his way through the crowd as his sister leaned down and began rustling his father from his slumber. Shepard and Liara made their way through the line but stopped to watch as the Vakarian family was reunited. The commander smiled under his helmet as the three turians broke down into either tears, laughter or both, embracing each other lovingly. After a minute or so Garrus glanced back to his friends and waved them over.

As Shepard and Liara approached them Garrus stood to the side. "Solana, dad... these are my friends. John Shepard and Liara T'Soni."

Solana wiped a few tears from her eyes and stepped forward, taking Shepard's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Commander Shepard."

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Vakarian," Shepard stated sincerely.

Solana looked to Liara and extended a hand to her as well. "And it's a pleasure meeting you as well, Doctor T'Soni. My brother has told me about your research."

"Not that I really understood any of it," Garrus quickly added.

Liara chuckled softly and shook Solana's hand gently. "A pleasure to meet you as well."

As Solana stepped back the elder Vakarian, leaning on a silver cane, moved forward and looked Shepard directly in the eye. The commander straightened up as the turian C-Sec veteran snapped a salute. Shepard saluted sharply in return before the turian extended a hand.

"Commander Shepard... when my son told me he had left C-Sec to join your crew three years ago I thought he had thrown his whole life away."

Shepard reached out and took his hand, shaking firmly.

"I'm glad I was proven wrong," the old turian finished.

The commander smiled and drew his hand back to his side. "Garrus is the finest soldier I've ever served with, sir. It's an honor to call him my friend."

Garrus looked down and then over to Shepard. "Hey, Shepard... if it's okay I'd like to have a few hours here. We've got a lot to catch up on."

Shepard smiled as the three Vakarians stood beside one another for the first time in what he guessed was years. "Of course, Garrus. Take as long as you need. Liara and I can head back to the ship if you'd like the time alone."

Garrus glanced to his father and sister, then back to Liara and Shepard. "That'd probably be best. Wouldn't wanna see your old pal cry, would you?"

* * *

_**SUPER SPECIAL AUTHOR'S NOTE!**_

Once again I must apologize for the late chapter, but this time it's for a valid reason! Just as I was inspired to get back into writing by the ending of Mass Effect 3 I was inspired by this alternate ending FF (god that sounds pretentious, sorry) to write a full narrative. I just posted the first three chapters of a brand new story set in the Mass Effect universe by the name of _**Contingent**** Absolution**_. It's set a few years before the events of Mass Effect and features all original characters (plus maybe a cameo or two at some point... we'll see). So if you like Mass Effect and/or this story you should totally check it out on my author page. Alright, no more shameless self promotion. Thanks for reading, see you next week!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Shepard gazed out the massive window of the starboard observation room as the Normandy continued its slow orbit around Palaven. A bittersweet smile hung on his lips; the planet below, while visibly scarred like most of the homeworlds, still remained, but it came at an unimaginable cost. Unimaginable before the Reapers had arrived, at least. Liara sat at his side, her head resting on his shoulder and neck as she looked out the window as well.

"You know... I could get used to this," Shepard stated, his eyes not breaking from the viewport.

"What's that?" Liara spoke softly.

"Being able to sit with you and having nothing at the front of my mind other than this moment."

She smiled and glanced up toward him. "I'll give it a week before you get the itch for combat again."

The commander chuckled softly. "I don't know about that. I know that since we met I've been leading the charge whenever I can, but that was just because I had to. From the moment you helped me understand that prothean beacon I knew that no one else would truly understand the stakes. No one but you, of course."

The asari sat up, still looking to him as he continued his gaze out the window. "I guess I never thought of it that way. I'm glad you took the responsibility... I don't know if I possess the political finesse required to unite an entire galaxy."

Shepard finally turned his eyes toward Liara with a smile. "You helped more than you think. You were there every step of the way."

Liara averted her eyes slightly. "If only that were true."

Shepard turned further to face her and brought one of his hands to grasp her's. "Just because you weren't on the ship doesn't mean you weren't with me."

Liara looked back briefly before leaning into him and pressing a long, deep kiss to his lips. As she pulled away reluctantly she smiled and laced her fingers with his.

"Thank you..." Liara said softly.

Shepard smiled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You bet."

"Shepard... could I ask a favor of you?"

"Of course."

Liara bit her lip softly and glanced back out to the vista of Palaven and her moons before looking back to Shepard. "Could we go to Thessia? If we have time, of course. I know we have a mission and I shouldn't be asking for personal favors on the Council's time, but-"

The commander shook his head with a smile and raised a finger to her lips to stop her ongoing apology. "Of course we can."

Liara smiled slightly. "Are you sure? I feel like there have already been so many distractions..."

"Liara, for the first time in years we don't have a countdown timer to the end of the galaxy dictating our every move. I think it's okay to take an extra day on this assignment."

The asari nodded gently. "Alright. After seeing Palaven I just felt the need to see my own home. I just want to see that it's still there. I want to know everything will be alright."

"We'll set a course as soon as Garrus is back on board."

Liara raised her hand and cupped his cheek, stroking his skin softly. "I love you."

Shepard smiled in return. "And I love you."

* * *

Liara looked back and blew a kiss as she exited the elevator and headed off toward her cabin to finish her daily round of mission report reviews. Shepard watched her go with a smile as the door slid shut and the car began to ascend to the second level. A soft ping sounded as the door parted to reveal the CIC and the swirling holographic map of the galaxy with Specialist Traynor just to the right working diligently. The commander stepped out of the elevator and walked up behind Traynor, crossing his arms as he looked over her shoulder.

"I hear you this time, sir," Traynor commented with a grin as she quickly finished her work and turned to face Shepard.

"Damn, thought I had the jump on you," Shepard replied with mock disappointment.

"So... how was Palaven?" Traynor's grin had slowly begun to disappear.

"Honestly? It was pretty rough. And we only really saw a refugee camp." Shepard let out a sigh and looked to the floor.

"Worse than Earth?"

Shepard shook his head and shrugged. "It's hard to say. At this level of destruction it's like comparing a bullet to the head with a bullet to the heart."

"Devastating in different ways?" Traynor frowned softly.

"Exactly. But, unlike my analogy, we have a future."

Traynor's face brightened slightly as she nodded in response. "I think everyone understands how fortunate we are to have that future."

Shepard smirked. "You'd be surprised. So what are your plans, Traynor? I figured you'd be back in the lab soon or later."

"Ah heh... actually... I like it here. A lot. I like being on the front lines where I can really see my hard work pay off." The specialist shrugged. "I'll probably transfer back to a lab job someday, but right now I think there's too much work to be done out here. But, come on, what I'm gonna do is pretty obvious if you ask me. What I'm really curious about is what _you're_ going to do."

Shepard chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You and everyone else on this ship, apparently."

"Well to be fair I've only known you as a soldier. Think you're gonna stick with it? If you ask me you're pretty due for a promotion..." Traynor grinned and crossed her arms, cocking her hips to the side.

"I think I was close after beating Sovereign, but you know how it is... dying, joining a terrorist cell, the near end of the galaxy. Bureaucracy gets in the way."

Traynor gave a small laugh and shook her head. "I think they're worried about setting the bar too high. Imagine if you got promoted to Hackett's position. People a thousand years from now would look at your service record and say, 'No way I can top that. I think I'll just discharge and become a banker.'"

"I'm sure they've got their reasons." Shepard shrugged lightly. "Anyway, I should probably head down to the armory and tune up my rifle."

"Alrighty, thanks for the chat. By the way, you've got a message." The specialist nodded to Shepard's terminal.

"Thanks. Carry on, Specialist." The commander raised his hand and snapped a salute.

"Yes, Commander." Traynor returned the salute and turned back to her console.

Shepard looked to his private terminal and approached it slowly. It was always a gamble with this damned terminal. He tapped his mail to see only one new message, raising a brow as he saw the name of the sender.

_From: Aria T'Loak_

_My connections tell me that you're still alive. You can color me impressed. Cerberus going tits-up made it easy to recapture Omega and we've already begun the bulk of the reconstruction work. Come by Afterlife. I think after what you managed to pull off I owe you a drink. And I don't like having a standing debt._

_-Aria_

Shepard smirked and marked the message as read before powering down the terminal and turning for the elevator.

* * *

It was nearly silent in the shuttle bay as Shepard sat at the weapons bench hunched over a disassembled M-8. He had meticulously cleaned every component and was now beginning the process of piecing the rifle back together from the ground up. It was a relaxing way to pass the time. Garrus had called for a pickup about half an hour ago and Cortez was due back any minute. Shepard wanted to be here when they got back. After a few minutes of work Shepard finished assembling the weapon and set it down on the table. He took a deep breath and nodded in satisfaction before standing and grabbing the rifle, sliding it onto the weapon rack beside the others.

"_Attention. Shuttle bay door is opening."_ EDI's voice rang out.

Shepard turned to the far wall to see two large red lights flashing on either side of the massive bay door as it began to slide apart. The noise of the Kodiak's thrusters filled the shuttle bay as it slowly and carefully hovered from the airlock to the landing zone. The commander crossed his arms and watched as the red shuttle descended before being locked in place, the engines cutting off as soon as it was secure. After a brief moment the side hatch of the dropship opened to allow a familiar turian to jump out and to the floor of the shuttle bay.

"How'd it go?" Shepard leaned back against the weapon bench as Garrus walked toward the armory.

"It's been a long, long time since I've heard my father say he was proud of me," Garrus responded as he stepped up beside Shepard. "It feels good."

"Any tears?" Shepard smiled.

"Oh sure. Mostly mine, of course." Garrus turned and leaned back next to Shepard.

The commander chuckled and looked up to the ceiling. "I don't think I've properly thanked you for everything you've done for me, Garrus."

"Well you're lucky I didn't get into this business for the thanks," the turian quipped.

"Regardless... you've always been there for me. You're a true friend. And I owe you a lot for that."

"You don't owe me a damned thing for being there for you, Shepard. That's what a friend is." He cleared his throat and stood up, motioning toward the elevator. "Now come on, we've got places to be. I've already taken up enough of your time by making you fly me out here."

Shepard stood up as they walked toward the elevator. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're not taking anyone's time?"

Garrus tapped the call button and shrugged. "Keep trying. I'll believe you eventually, I'm sure."

The elevator chimed as the door parted, allowing them to board the car. Shepard pressed the button for the CIC and they quickly began to ascend through the ship.

"So where are headed?" Garrus glanced over to Shepard.

"Thessia."

Garrus twitched a mandible curiously. "Thessia..? New orders?"

Shepard shook his head as the door opened to the CIC and they walked to the galaxy map. "Nope. Personal request."

"Ahh, I see. Liara?" Garrus stood at the base of the command platform as Shepard stepped up and leaned over the map.

"Nope. Javik." The commander glanced back over his shoulder with a smirk as he punched in the nav orders.

"Funny. What are planning on doing there?" Garrus watched as Shepard turned and stepped back down.

The commander shrugged. "You'd have to ask Liara. She just said that after seeing Palaven and Earth she needed to see Thessia again."

"I can't blame her. We did leave it in rather unfortunate shape. Here's hoping the asari have taken care of their own Reaper infestation."

Shepard sighed. "I'm bringing my rifle. Just in case."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well I feel silly. I finished this chapter two or three days ago when I finished the most recent chapter of Contingent Absolution and forgot to push it live. Anyway, hope you liked this "walk around the ship and talk to the crew" chapter. I really enjoy the one-on-one conversations. See you next week!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Cortez looked up from his work on the Kodiak as Shepard and Liara stepped out of the elevator and into the hangar bay. He waved them over and jumped down from the roof with a smile.

"Ready to fly?" Cortez wiped his hands off on his fatigues and looked to the pair as they stood in full combat gear in front of him.

"Almost." Shepard looked back toward the armory to where Javik stood, sliding thermal clips into his belt.

"You guys expecting action?" Cortez peered toward the prothean curiously.

"He asked if he could come along," Liara replied with a sigh.

"Yeah, but you two are dressed down for a fight, too."

It was true. Both Shepard and Liara were in their full combat armor and armed to the teeth. Shepard watched Javik for another brief moment before looking back to Cortez.

"Liara's reports show combat in many major cities. Better safe than sorry," Shepard said reluctantly.

"I don't mind if we have to kill a few," Liara stated coldly. "I want them off of my home."

"Hell yeah," Cortez responded. "So do we have a destination?"

Shepard looked to Liara as she nodded once. "Yes. I would like to visit Armali... it's where I grew up. I'd like to find the park that my mother used to take me to." She paused briefly. "And from what I hear the fighting still persists there."

"We'll find it," Shepard assured her.

"_Shepard, may I interject?"_

Shepard looked up as he responded to EDI. "Go ahead."

"_On a hunch I scanned asari personnel movement within the combat zone in Armali. It appears as though our former shipmate Samara is fighting in the region. Would you like me to attempt to contact her?"_

"You did all that? When?"

"_Twenty seconds ago."_

The commander shook his head and looked to Liara. "It's up to you. This is your mission."

Liara smiled warmly. "Of course we should contact her. EDI, can you request for Samara to transmit her coordinates and forward them to the shuttle should she respond?"

"_Yes. Message away."_

Javik, having finished gathering his ammo, stepped up beside Shepard and Liara and looked between them and Cortez. "I am ready."

Shepard nodded. "Alright, let's get in the air."

One by one the squad jumped up into the open hatch of the Kodiak and readied themselves for departure. As Shepard pulled the door shut Cortez fired up the thrusters and the shuttle jumped to life. He dropped onto one of the benches beside Liara as the shuttle ascended and turned toward the airlock, floating effortlessly in. The dropship hovered idly for a few moments before suddenly accelerating out of the Normandy and into orbit over Thessia. Cortez brought the shuttle into a flightpath and flipped on the monitors, showing the course that the craft would take through the atmosphere and to the city of Armali. Liara watched the monitor displaying a vid feed from the hull of the shuttle as they approached the planet's surface. They had entered the atmosphere over an ocean, though in the distance the faint sight of land could be seen lined with countless Thessian skyscrapers. Shepard suspected that the skyline was far thicker with buildings before the war.

"Hey Shepard, I think we've got coordinates for you friend," Cortez called from the cockpit as the shuttle veered ever-so-slightly to change its course.

"We are entering a combat zone, no?" Javik sat with his arms crossed at the far end of the shuttle.

Shepard looked from the monitor to the prothean. "Only a portion of the city is in combat. But if we're headed to meet Samara I bet we'll find a fight."

Liara adjusted herself with a deep breath as the shuttle rocketed toward the rapidly approaching shoreline. Shepard looked back to the monitor to see the waypoint for Samara's location less than a kilometer away. He felt the shuttle begin to decelerate as the vid feed showed them headed straight toward a superstructure.

"Looks like the coordinates are on top of this building. I'm bringing us in," Cortez reported. "Looks hot!"

Shepard, Liara and Javik pulled themselves to their feet and drew their weapons as the shuttle slowed rapidly and the hatch began to open via the lieutenant's command. The door parted to reveal a massive rooftop garden littered with the scars of battle. Corpses of Reaper forces were scattered everywhere along with those of a few uniformed asari soldiers. A good two or three dozen Reaper infantry units turned to the shuttle as it flew low enough for the squad to jump and land safely on the roof of the building. As the Kodiak lifted and accelerated away from the roof the squad unleashed a torrent of gunfire into the mob of Reaper forces, cutting them apart with ruthless efficiency. Within a few seconds of their landing a massive biotic shockwave traveled across the roof, sending their enemies flying and some off of the side of the superstructure. Shepard glanced to Liara to see her concentrating on firing her SMG with precision. He was fairly sure he knew where the shockwave had come from.

Over the next minute the company of Reaper infantry on the roof was cut to a single Marauder, who quickly found himself cut to pieces by Javik's rifle fire. As their enemies fell silent, so did the squad's weapons. Shepard scanned the roof of the building to be sure it was clear before spotting a familiar figure stepping over a large, overturned column. Samara surrounded herself in biotic energy as she slowly descended from her perch and began a swift walk toward Shepard and his squad. The commander looked to Liara and Javik and waved them forward as he slid his rifle onto his back. The group met in the center of the building amid the bodies of their fallen enemies with Samara smiling softly to her allies.

"Shepard... my friend," Samara acknowledged as she stepped forward and embraced him in an amicable hug.

The commander, though slightly caught off guard, returned the hug. "So you're hugging now? I never thought I'd see the day."

The justicar smiled as she stood back. "I am trying to be more personable. Traveling with you and your team was a reminder of the pleasures that come with being around those you care for." Samara turned to Shepard's squad and bowed her head. "Liara T'Soni, yes? It is regrettable that we have only met on such informal terms."

The young asari smiled and bowed her head in return. "It is an honor to see you again, Justicar Samara."

"Merely 'Samara' will suffice." The elder asari turned to Javik and tilted her head slightly. "I do not believe I have met this companion, Shepard."

"I am known as Javik," the prothean replied with slight disinterest.

"He's a prothean," Shepard added.

"And to think people find it rare to see a justicar," Samara noted with a serene smile. "May I ask what brings you here, Shepard?"

The commander nodded out toward the city. "Liara's looking for something."

Liara seemed to have been made aware of the view only after Shepard motioned toward it. She turned and slowly walked to the railing at the edge of the roof and gazed out. Shepard looked to Samara and Javik before turning and following her with Samara in tow. Javik remained still, his arms crossed as he watched. The sight that lay below them was, as it had been on Earth and Palaven, utter devastation. Buildings like the one they stood on were torn asunder and the ground was littered with the debris of battle. Smoke plumes from distant fires dotted he horizon. Shepard glanced to Liara to see her staring, almost devoid of emotion, out to the sight of her destroyed home.

"You okay?" Shepard asked.

Liara nodded softly. "Yes. I think so. Samara, how long have you been here?"

"The day after the Battle of Earth was declared a victory I sought passage on an asari military vessel. Since then I have been here on Thessia fighting wherever I have been needed." The justicar, stood straight and looked out over the vista of devastation as she replied.

"Thank you..." Liara stated as she looked to the justicar.

Samara turned to face Liara. "I require no thanks for my service. And if what I have heard of you is true, I believe you are due thanks from all of us as well. Much like Commander Shepard."

The commander shook his head with a smirk. "How about we all agree that we did our part. Everyone fought for this."

"Agreed," Samara replied. "You mentioned that you were searching for something. May I inquire as to what?"

Liara looked down bashfully. "Oh... it's nothing important. Just a place called Saneela Park."

The justicar looked back out to what remained of the city. "I know of this place. It is nearby and secure from battle. Would you like me to take you there?"

"I would not want to interfere with your duties," Liara quickly replied.

Samara smiled and turned back to Liara and Shepard. "If it interfered with my duties I would have not suggested it in the first place. I would like to meditate briefly; the park is quiet and by the sea. The journey would be mutually beneficial."

Shepard looked to Javik as he stood silently a few paces away. "Javik, would you like me to tap into asari battle reports and find the nearest hotspot?"

The prothean stared back to Shepard for a few moments before responding. "No. I am content with traveling with you."

Shepard was intrigued by the response, but nodded in response. "Samara, should I call in Cortez?"

"If it is not far... I would actually like to walk. If that's okay," Liara quickly interjected.

Shepard looked to Samara for affirmation. She nodded and drew her weapon. "We must make our way out of this building and remain vigilant while doing so. I had not finished clearing it of foes before you arrived."

Shepard, Liara and Javik all drew their weapons as Samara turned and walked toward the far side of the rooftop and the wide doors that lead to the elevator. The justicar glanced back to her allies with a smile.

"I had hoped we would travel together again, Shepard."

As Samara spoke the large doors opened to reveal a pair of husks that the justicar dismissed with rifle shots to the head. She lowered her weapon and lithely stepped over the corpses without a second look.

* * *

For nearly an hour the squad had been moving through the ruined streets of Armali. The expansive walkways and catwalks that served as the city's avenues of foot transportation were in poor condition and in many places impassable or destroyed. Still, they marched on toward the sea over which the setting sun forced Shepard to squint lightly. He was relieved that they had not encountered any hostiles for about a half an hour, and those that they had posed virtually no threat. They had even run across an asari commando unit patrolling the area. Samara walked at the vanguard of the four, leading them over piles of rubble and under collapsed columns. As they reached a top of a small hill Shepard could see the shoreline growing closer and hurried to catch up with Samara.

"Almost there?" He slowed as he reached her side.

"Just another few minutes, yes," Samara replied calmly.

Shepard held his rifle in one hand as they walked, not worried about having to use it anytime soon. "How have you been, Samara? We haven't really had a chance to talk one on one for... feels like years, doesn't it?"

The asari nodded. "I suppose it does. I am well. The fight has been demanding, but it grows easier each day, and soon this one will be over."

"It's difficult for me to wrap my head around it sometimes. It might be hard to get used to," Shepard admitted.

"It has certainly been an exciting year or so since we met, hasn't it?" The justicar glanced to Shepard with a small smile.

"Yeah. It has. You know, I just realized... when we met you had been chasing Morinth since you took up the Code. And after you found her you turned your attention to the Reapers. What comes now?" Shepard glanced to the asari as they climbed over a long-crashed skycar.

Samara remained silent for a long while before replying. "I suppose that is what I will meditate on when we reach our destination."

"Got any options in mind?"

She nodded once. "I have one in particular, yes. If you recall, my daughter, Falere, stayed on Lesuss in the remains of her monastery. I would like to assist her in rebuilding her home."

"A noble cause. But then again, that's a given with you," Shepard smirked. "So you're not planning on finding the next big injustice to put down?"

"I will never ignore the call of justice. The Code demands this. But there is nothing that would prevent me from setting my own goals in aiding the galaxy."

The two slowed as the walkway connected with the ground and formed a path into Saneela Park. A few trees dotted the green field, along with numerous craters and scorch marks. Shepard glanced over his shoulder to see Liara and Javik only a dozen or two meters behind them.

"Can I ask something of you, Samara?" Shepard turned to her as they came to a stop.

The justicar nodded. "Of course, my friend."

"Everyone in the galaxy has seen enough of war to last a thousand lifetimes. Not just you or me." He paused briefly as he gathered his thoughts. "When you meditate, think about what happiness, not just peace of mind, means to you. As a true friend, as you've called me, I just want you to know that I believe you've earned the right to a little joy. And from what I understand of it, happiness isn't mutually exclusive with the Code."

Samara smiled softly. "I will keep that in mind, Shepard. Now, if it is alright with you, I will find a spot near the shore to meditate. Please, find me before you depart. I would like to say goodbye."

Shepard nodded as Samara turned and continued to walk toward the ocean. He smiled as Liara approached him. "Is this the place?"

Liara nodded gently and stepped up beside him, looking across the field to the sea. "It's... just like I remembered, only with a few more craters."

Shepard chuckled softly and turned, looking out to the field with her as Samara reached the edge of the water and turned out of sight beyond a hill. Javik walked up to Shepard's side and scanned the park with a long gaze before glancing to the human and asari.

"Your planet is in better condition than I had expected, asari," he stated bluntly.

Liara nodded, still looking into the park. "I suppose it is, isn't it?"

"I wish to rest for a time. Contact me when we are preparing to leave." Javik turned and began walking to one of the sitting areas, sliding his rifle onto his back.

Liara reached down and took Shepard's hand in her's. "Let's go for a walk by the shore."

The couple started on down the path at a slow pace, admiring the surprisingly intact scenery around them. Shepard looked down and shook his head softly in amusement as they walked hand in hand, clad from head to toe in heavy armor.

"I can see why your mother took you here so often. It's a beautiful park," Shepard noted as they approached the water.

Liara leaned her head on his armored shoulder as they walked. "Thank you for taking me here. I feel so lucky to have you sometimes."

"Why's that?" He glanced down to her curiously.

"You know answer to that question. Not only are you the savior of everything we know, but you're also more thoughtful and kind than I could have ever dreamed of." Liara stared onward as she spoke.

Shepard squeezed her hand. "And you call _me_ a flatterer."

The two came to a stop as the path reached the water and diverged into two ends leading in either direction along the shoreline. The sun had just begun to slip beneath the waves of the sea before them, sending orange and yellow rays dancing across the ever-shifting surface. Liara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Shepard looked down to her and watched as she bit her lip and slowly nodded to herself.

"Are you alright?"

The asari exhaled deeply. "Yes. Just building courage."

"What for?" Shepard raised a brow and turned to her.

She turned as he did, still holding his hand in her's. "I have to tell you something. I've been putting it off for much too long."

Shepard tilted his head slightly with a smile. "You know I've died before and I took that news pretty well. I'm not sure there's much worse you could tell me."

Liara smiled softly and shook her head. "John... do you remember the night before we attacked Cronos Station?"

"Of course," Shepard replied.

Suddenly his stomach jumped. She had only called him by his first name a handful of times. He was sure of what she would say next, but he stayed silent. This was her moment.

"That night I..." She paused with a sigh, unsure of what to say. "We're going to have a daughter, John."

Shepard felt his gut jump once again. Without hesitation he wrapped his arms around Liara in a tight embrace causing the asari let out a surprised "oof" before returning the hug eagerly. Shepard let out a small laugh of joy as he stepped back, his hands finding her's and squeezing tightly.

"Is this what you've been so secretive about?" He looked to her eyes with a beaming smile.

"I- I was scared to tell you... when you promised all of those little blue children I wasn't sure if you were serious!" Her face had quickly lifted into a smile as wide as his own.

The commander leaned his head down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'd never been more serious in my life."

She looked down. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. That night I just... I didn't inhibit anything. It could have been our last night together and I-"

"Liara, you don't have explain. I understand."

The asari glanced up to him briefly before looking out over the water. The sun had sunk nearly half-way into the sea, weaving a tapestry of colors that melded from yellow to orange. Behind them a deep purple and blue was following the sunset and just beginning to blanket the sky. The two stood in silence for a moment before Liara looked back to him with a soft smile.

"You know... it takes an exceptionally strong connection between bondmates for a maiden to conceive a child."

Shepard grinned. "I was gonna ask about that, but I thought it might ruin the mood."

"It's a good thing I know you so well then, isn't it?"

She winked playfully and stepped back, slowly turning in a circle as she gazed over the world around her: the green hills of the park, the dozens of skyscrapers, clouds that spotted the pink sky and finally the ocean.

Liara let out a soft sigh. "It's still here. And it's beautiful. We did it, Shepard."

The commander turned and looked out over the water with her. "Yeah. We did."

* * *

The sky had darkened in few hours that Shepard and Liara had spent sitting by the ocean, but moonlight had taken the sun's place and illuminated the landscape around them. They talked about everything Shepard could have thought of and then some. After a while they realized that they would have to return to the Normandy eventually and set off, hand in hand, along the seaside path toward Samara's squad beacon. A few minutes of walking later they caught sight of a glowing figure sitting at the crest of a hill that overlooked the path and sea beyond it. As they climbed the hill the soft biotic glow slowly dimmed as Samara sensed their presence and exited her meditation.

"I suppose you are preparing to leave?" Samara looked to Shepard and Liara expectantly.

Shepard nodded. "Yeah. I think we've finished everything we had to do here."

Samara looked between the two knowingly and smiled. "I see."

"Thank you for taking us here, Samara," Liara said with a soft smile.

The justicar nodded to her friends. "It was rare pleasure to see both of you again. I hope this will not be the last time our paths cross."

Shepard extended a hand. "It won't be, trust me. Stay in touch, Samara."

The elder asari took his hand and grasped it firmly. "I do. And I will."

Liara stepped forward and bowed her head to the justicar, to which she bowed her head in return.

"Be safe in your travels, my friends. And if you ever find yourself in need of my aid, I will be there." Samara stepped back and lowered to the ground to resume her meditation.

Shepard and Liara waved goodbye one last time before turning to walk back down the hill as the glow from Samara's biotic field illuminated once again and cast their shadow down in front of them as they walked. As the reached the pathway Shepard exhaled deeply.

"I suppose we should get Javik and Cortez on the comm," Liara stated regrettably.

Shepard nodded. "Yeah... I think I'm ready to call it a day."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Well then. I think this chapter filled the quota required for this story to be filled under the "Romance" category. Hope you enjoyed the read!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Shepard stepped into the comm room with a smile that had persisted since they had left Thessia. Even an incoming call from Admiral Hackett wasn't enough to subdue his elation. He stopped at the console and straightened his posture before tapping the blinking "Receive Call" button. After a few seconds a flash of blue static erupted and formed the shape of the admiral as he stood with his hands crossed behind his back. Shepard snapped an instinctive salute.

"At ease, Commander," Hackett ordered as he returned the salute. "It's good to see you."

Shepard smiled with a nod. "You too, sir."

"How's your mission progressing?" Hackett's signal blinked slightly.

"Good. We're preparing to leave Thessia now."

"Thessia?" Hackett raised a brow.

The commander chuckled. "We've made a few stops."

"Then I'm glad I caught you at a good time. I thought you might want an update on the situation back on the home front."

"Absolutely, sir," Shepard replied, still smiling.

Hackett paused briefly. "You seem rather chipper today, Commander."

Shepard nodded. "Well I feel chipper, sir. Today was the best day I've had in a long time."

Admiral Hackett nodded with a small smile. "If anyone deserves a good day it's you. Now, I've got a few items I'd like to fill you in on. First and foremost is that fleet amalgamation we discussed."

"Any news?" Shepard inquired hopefully.

"We pushed it through. The first ships are going to be transferred to Citadel Command in just a few hours," Hackett stated proudly.

Shepard let out a massive sigh of relief. "Good... I wasn't looking forward to the political backlash if that had failed."

"You and me both, Commander."

Shepard crossed his arms behind his back. "How's the situation on Earth?"

Hackett raised a hand to his chin. "It depends on what part of the situation you're interested in. The fight is nearly over. We're only finding pockets of resistance scattered around; it's nothing that we can't handle easily. The hard is just beginning, though. Reconstruction will take a long time."

"Is it that bad?" Shepard's smile lowered slightly.

"I don't need to tell you the amount of destruction we faced. It'll be years before Earth can call itself rebuilt. But it will happen," Hackett declared. "And, by the way, a burial ceremony for Admiral Anderson will be held in a few weeks. Just thought you'd like to know."

Shepard gave a bittersweet smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll be there."

Hackett adjusted his posture. "That's all I've got, Commander. If you have any questions I'd be more than happy to answer what I can."

The commander shook his head. "No, sir. But thanks for giving me the call."

Hackett snapped a tight salute. "Of course, Commander. Good luck on the rest of your assignment."

Shepard saluted in return. "Thank you, sir."

The admiral nodded. "Hackett out."

Hackett's image blurred and snapped out of sight as he turned and walked out of his own comm room. Shepard reached for the panel and terminated the call before turning and making his way into the war room. He glanced to the galaxy map briefly, but continued on toward the CIC. He nodded a hello to Specialist Traynor before stopping at the elevator. As he stepped in he reached for the button that would take him up to his cabin, only to change his mind and order the elevator down to the engineering deck. There was a certain prothean that he needed to speak to before he could retire for the evening.

* * *

Commander Shepard waited as the door to Javik's chamber slid apart. It was unlocked, as always. As he stepped into the room he saw the prothean standing at a workbench on the opposite wall. His back faced the door as he leaned over a holopad and tapped the scroll bar on the side of the screen. Shepard stopped only a few steps in and crossed his arms.

"Commander."

Javik did not look up as he acknowledged Shepard's presence.

"Javik."

The commander stood in place as he responded to the acknowledgment without another word. He waited as the prothean continued cycling through whatever he was reading on the datapad. After nearly a minute Javik finally powered off the screen and turned to face Shepard. He stood straight and into Shepard's eyes expectantly, waiting for the commander to speak.

"Why are you here," Javik asked in his demanding tone.

Shepard smirked slightly. "You really don't care for the formalities, do you?"

"I do not see the point. And you did not answer my question."

The commander nodded softly. "I have a question for you, actually. If that's alright." The prothean nodded for him to continue. "What happened back there on Thessia?"

Javik narrowed his eyes slightly. "Elaborate. We fought efficiently and effectively, yet your choice of words indicates dissatisfaction."

"Exactly. We found a battle, but you followed us to a park. You went off and sat alone for hours. Why?" The commander eyed him curiously.

The prothean gave a grunt and crossed his arms. He stayed silent as his gaze slowly drifted toward the floor. "Because... you were right."

"About what?"

"The Reapers are gone. We have defeated them." He paused briefly. "Has my purpose been fulfilled?"

Shepard blinked in surprise at the honesty in his voice. "I don't think I can answer that, Javik. If you're the Avatar of Vengeance, you should be asking yourself that question. Have you avenged your people?"

The prothean continued to stare downward as he thought to himself. "Have I? We have defeated the Reapers. I do not know what else is required of me."

"Maybe that's it. It might be time for you to find a new purpose."

Javik looked up to the commander. "I have known nothing but war for my entire existence, but you... you were born free from conflict and chose this life. Is it possible to return?"

"There was never a time when conflict was the sole aspect of my life. The world and people outside of the battlefield are just as important as the fight to save them. More so, in my opinion." Shepard shrugged. "The empire you fought for is gone. Maybe it's time to find something new to fight for."

"But what is there to fight for in this cycle? I know little of it."

"Then find out about it. Maybe that's your answer," Shepard suggested.

The prothean stood in silence as he collected his thoughts. Shepard watched him, waiting for a response. After a minute or so had passed the commander nodded and turned back to the door.

"Thank you, Commander," Javik finally spoke as Shepard opened the door. "I will think this over."

Shepard glanced back over his shoulder and gave him a nod before heading onward to the elevator. As he stepped into the car EDI's voice rang out.

"_That was very altruistic of you, Shepard."_

He glanced up. "How so?"

"_Javik has never been the most pleasant member of the crew and yet you still help him when he is need. Many would not have the tolerance to do so."_

"Pleasant or not, Javik's a member of the crew. If he needs help he gets it," the commander reached forward and ordered the car to ascend to his cabin.

"_I hope he finds what he is looking for."_

"Yeah. Me too."

Shepard waited as the elevator arrived at the top of the ship as the door slowly slid apart. He stepped out and to the door of his cabin, waiting once again as the security quickly checked his ID. Once the doors had opened he stepped into his cabin with a long, tired sigh while making his way to the stairs. As he stepped down into the living area he looked to the couch to see Liara holding a holopad at her side while she smiled up to him. Seeing her smile brought one back to his face as he crossed the room and dropped onto the couch. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"So are you working on Broker intel or making a list of baby names?" Shepard asked with a grin.

Liara smiled softly. "Neither... I'm looking at some old photos."

Shepard raised a brow. "Oh? Well you've gotta show me."

She set the datapad on her lap and turned the screen on. The holopad showed the picture of a breathtaking mountaintop vista. Shepard quickly recognized the flora from their trip to Palaven just a few days either. In the center of the picture was a much younger Liara, smiling as she stood next to Matriarch Benezia. As he gazed down at the photo he realized that he had never seen a picture of Benezia before she had been indoctrinated. The smile on her face as she stood with Liara was touching, to say the least.

"Vacation picture?" Shepard inquired.

Liara smiled. "Something like that. Goddess, I look so young! I mustn't have been a day over forty."

Shepard smirked. "I don't think you realize how bizarre that sounds to a human."

She laughed softly. "I suppose not." She continued gazing at the picture with a soft smile.

"What brought on the desire for old pictures?" The commander looked to her, watching her eyes as they slowly scanned the photo.

"It might sound cliche, but I've been thinking a lot about motherhood recently. I hope... I can be as good of a mother as mine was to me." Her voice softened as she finished.

"Already worried about that?" Shepard grinned and rubbed her back encouragingly. "We've still got months to prepare for the kid. _Then_ we worry about being good parents."

Liara finally tore her gaze from the photo and looked to Shepard with a smirk. "Months? Asari gestation lasts for nearly two years, you know."

Shepard blinked and nodded slowly. "Oh... of course."

Liara grinned. "Don't worry, it'll be done before you know it." The asari turned off the datapad and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "Yeah. Sure it will."

"So," Liara began. "Where are we headed now?"

The commander stood and walked to his dresser, talking as he did so. "Omega. Got an "invitation" for drinks from Aria T'Loak."

Liara raised a brow. "Oh?"

Shepard chuckled as he pulled off his casual fatigues shirt. "She says she owes me. I'm hoping it's just for the whole Reaper thing."

Liara grinned as she watched him remove his shoes and return to the couch. "Aria T'Loak, Justicar Samara, the Shadow Broker... you must have a thing for powerful asari, Shepard."

He laughed and sat himself next to her once again. "I think Councilor Tevos is fond of my work as well, if you can count that."

Liara slapped his arm softly with a smile. "Alright, alright. Mine was joke. Now you're just making me jealous."

Shepard smiled and took her hand in his. "You shouldn't be. You're everything I could ever want, and more. I love you, Liara."

She smiled and gave his hand a soft squeeze. "I love you, too."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I've got a lot of time for writing this week so I might have a new chapter for both Moments of Rest and Contingent Absolution up by the weekend._  
_

_(Don't hold me to that.)_

Hope you enjoyed the read!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Wow. And I thought Omega was in need of remodeling six months ago."

Shepard couldn't agree more with Garrus's assessment as they looked out over the city from a balcony near Afterlife; Cerberus had done a number on the station. Surprisingly, however, there was a significant amount of construction occurring as far as the eye could see.

"I didn't expect there to be so many people willing to rebuild this place," Shepard commented to his turian friend.

"You'd be surprised at how many people proudly call this place a home." Garrus shook his head a bit. "I was."

"But they don't want to return to their home planet to rebuild?" Shepard glanced to him.

Garrus chuckled. "Most people living in the Terminus Systems have never even been to their 'home' planet. It's less about where you come from and more of what you make of yourself that people value out here." He paused momentarily. "I actually admire that."

Shepard did as well. If every politician in the galaxy had been less concerned about the safety of themselves and their homeworlds and more focused on the galaxy as a whole, the war against the Reapers could have been a whole lot easier. He wasn't naive, though. He knew that perfect cooperation would be impossible from the moment the Council entered denial about the Reaper over two years ago. Shepard shook his head and turned from the railing that he and Garrus were leaned against. He had to stop dwelling on that kind of thing.

"You ready to go in?" Garrus turned with him and nodded toward the door to Afterlife.

Shepard nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

As they approached the doors Shepard was once again taken by surprise by the number of people either waiting to enter the club or in the entrance hall. He shrugged slightly to himself as they ascended the stairs. People would always need to dance. Shepard and Garrus walked casually through the outer door of the club and down the entrance hall to the door that lead to the club itself. As the doors parted the music, which had been muffled up until that point, filled his ears.

"Glad to see Cerberus had the decency not to destroy Omega's heart of industry," Garrus joked as they looked around the club.

As they rounded the bar Shepard gazed through the crowd of dancing patrons and smiled; there was something reassuring about it. All of these people were at risk of being exterminated only a few weeks ago, but now they were here, living their lives just as they had before. He chuckled to himself as he realized that Omega, of all places, was the one that truly gave him the impression that everything would be okay. Shepard and Garrus stepped up to the stairs leading to Aria's lounge and stopped before a turian guard. The guard raised his omnitool as he scanned their ID.

"You'll have to wait here for a moment. Head of security wants to talk to you," the turian stated as he turned and headed up the stairs.

Garrus crossed his arms. "Come on, Anto doesn't know who we are by now?"

"I think Anto got taken out by Cerberus. At least that's what Aria told me," Shepard stated regrettably.

"Well great," Garrus said with a sigh. "Can't wait to see what green upstart Aria's got running her security now."

As Garrus finished an unmistakable south-London voice spoke from the stairs. "I outta make the right side'a your face match the left for that."

Shepard looked up with a laugh. "Zaeed! What the hell are you doing here?"

The veteran merc stepped off the stairs in front of them and crossed his arms. "Makin' damn good money, that's what. How's it goin' Shepard, Vakarian."

Garrus narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down. "You're playing bodyguard for Aria?"

"If by that ya mean getting paid to drink with gorgeous, half-naked women around me then sure," Zaeed remarked.

Shepard grinned and shook his head. "How the hell did you manage to snag this job?"

"Aria grabbed as many mercs as she could find to take this place back, myself included, and I ended up in charge of most of 'em. You'd be surprised how few of 'em have lead gangs or got work experience with a Spectre," Zaeed let out a laugh. "Thanks for the professional reference, by the way."

"So Aria just let you take over her security?" Garrus asked suspiciously.

"She offered me the job. No one else had the qualifications," Zaeed replied. "And she didn't want anyone who had any loyalties here on Omega."

"You like the job?" Shepard raised a brow.

"Free drinks and dances and all I've gotta do is make sure Aria's mercs stay in check? Best paycheck I've ever made," Zaeed answered with a cocky smirk.

Shepard extended a hand that Zaeed gladly grasped and shook. "Glad to see you're happy, Zaeed."

He stood back from the stairs and nodded. "Aria's waiting. Grab me before ya leave and we'll have a drink on me."

Garrus glanced to Shepard and then back to Zaeed. "I think I'll take you up on that drink now while Shepard has his little date."

Zaeed slapped Garrus on the back and turned him back toward the bar. "So tell me all about how you two saved the galaxy. All I've seen is the vids."

Shepard watched as Garrus and Zaeed walked off toward the bar engaged in lively chatter before starting up the flight of stairs to Aria's lounge. As he reached the top Shepard turned to the balcony where Aria sat looking over a datapad. The commander took a step forward and crossed his arms, waiting for her to look up. Aria's fingers tapped away at the datapad.

"You're welcome to sit, you know." Aria's voice was as cold and calculating as ever.

Shepard lowered his arms and took a seat to the right of the asari. He stretched and put his arms on the back of the long couch. Aria still had not looked up from her work.

"This place is a lot more relaxing when you're not here on business," Shepard commented as he looked around the club.

"I wouldn't know," Aria stated as she closed the datapad and set it aside. "I'm always here on business."

Shepard turned his attention to the asari and raised a brow. "Even now?"

"Do you know how much work I've had to manage to keep the peace around here?" Aria narrowed her eyes. "Turning all these mercs into a security force has been a pain in the ass."

"Zaeed keeping them in line?"

Aria shrugged. "Well enough. He's got a surprising amount of respect from these people."

Shepard nodded thoughtfully. "He's got a hell of a record."

"Mm. Chatting with me about my work isn't why you're here." Aria looked toward the turian guard that had stopped Shepard earlier and waved him over. "Get us each a drink."

"What... what kind?" The turian glanced between the two of them.

Aria rolled her eyes. "I don't care. Something expensive."

The turian nodded and hurried off down the stairs toward the bar. As he left Aria looked back to the commander and stared. She looked as though she was gathering her thoughts.

"So," she started. "How was the fight?"

Shepard raised a brow. "Are you actually asking me about something unrelated to yourself?"

She glared at him. "Don't get sassy with me. I _am_ capable of having a friendly conversation. Finding someone worthwhile to converse with... that's the hard part."

"It was tough," he answered. "Lots of fighting. You probably would've loved it."

"Maybe. If I gave a shit about Earth."

Shepard laughed. "That's what I like about you, Aria. No bullshit."

The asari grinned. "I know when someone appreciates honesty."

As she finished the turian came trotting back up the stairs with a drink in each hand. He slowed his pace as he approached them and held out the drinks. Aria and Shepard grabbed the short glasses of what seemed to be a deep blue liquor. Shepard gave the glass a look, trying to identify the substance.

"It's an asari drink," Aria informed him. "And from my private collection, it would seem."

The turian quickly hurried off to resume his post at the comment. Aria ignored him and held her glass toward Shepard. The commander reached over and clacked their drinks together lightly.

"What are we drinking to?" Shepard inquired as he pulled the glass back.

Aria glanced up as she pondered the question before turning her eyes back to him. "My thanks. I may be able to handle myself against anything Omega can throw at me, but I'm not an idiot. No one else could do what you did. You have my gratitude. And my respect."

She raised her glass to her lips and took a drink. Shepard did the same and raised his brows slightly in surprise at how smooth the asari liquor went down. As he lowered the drink from his lips Aria gave him a sideways glance.

"You know, if you didn't have such a ridiculously straight moral compass I might have made you my bondmate for a while. Your a fucking genetic goldmine." Aria took another sip.

Shepard chuckled and downed another mouthful of the liquor. "As romantic as that sounds, I'm happily bonded."

Aria smirked and looked straight ahead. "Like I said, you're a little too righteous for my taste."

Shepard finished his drink with a deep gulp and let out a sigh. "Well I'm glad things are still holding together here, Aria."

The asari finished her drink and looked over to him. "Omega will always hold together, Shepard."

The commander set his glass on the couch and stood up. "Thanks for the drink, but I've gotta run. Still got business to take care of. You can call us even now."

Aria smirked and nodded. "Come by again sometime."

Shepard turned back to the stairs with a smile. "Maybe I will."

* * *

Having found Garrus and Zaeed and joined them for a round of drinks celebrating the "good old days," Shepard was content to make his way back to the Normandy. He and Garrus made their way through the streets of Omega back to the docking bay that housed the ship, reminiscing about the time they each had spent there.

"Are you _still_ self conscious about the Archangel name?" Shepard glanced to Garrus with a laugh.

The turian let out a sigh. "Sounds pretty pretentious when you don't know it was the locals that gave it to me."

As they approached the airlock they were met by Javik, who stood to the side and next to small footlocker. Shepard gave Garrus a quick glance as they walked up to him and nodded.

"Javik. What's going on?" Shepard stopped before the prothean and looked him over curiously.

Javik glanced to Garrus. "I would prefer to speak to the commander alone, turian."

Garrus rolled his eyes and stepped up to the airlock. "Whatever. I'll be on the ship."

As Garrus entered the airlock Javik looked back to the Shepard. "Commander. It has been a privilege to serve with your crew, but I must take my leave."

Shepard blinked in surprise. "What? You're leaving?"

The prothean looked out the viewport to the Normandy. "When we last talked you told me that I must find a new path. My own."

"And that path is..."

Javik turned back to Shepard. "Anywhere." He paused for a moment. "I am ready to lay down my weapon and see the galaxy that we fought to protect."

"Javik, that's... do you know where you're going to go?"

The prothean shook his head. "No. I will go wherever I can find passage to."

Shepard couldn't help but feel concerned. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am. I have only seen a glimpse of what this galaxy has to offer. I wish to see the rest; the good and the bad. I am ready to be free of my past and become a part of the present." Javik looked to the commander stoically.

Shepard smiled lightly and nodded. "I guess I can't argue against that. But what about your book?"

Javik gave a small smile. "I have already spoken with Liara T'Soni. I will correspond with her about my travels and we will continue with our work."

Shepard opened his mouth to speak, but decided that maybe nothing else needed to be said. The commander extended a hand to the prothean which Javik shook firmly. As they released, Javik leaned down and retrieved the small footlocker that contained his limited personal effects and nodded to Shepard.

"I have enjoyed our travels together, Commander. I hope your mission concludes well."

"And I hope your path treats you well, Javik. You've earned it."

Javik nodded and began his walk down the hall toward the street without another word.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Next chapter should come as fast as this one. See you then!


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"He left?"

Garrus looked up in surprise from his terminal. Shepard leaned against the bulkhead of the door leading into the forward battery and nodded in response. The turian closed out the work he had just begun and turned to face the commander.

"Did he say why?"

Shepard stepped into the room, letting the door shut behind him. He stepped up beside Garrus and leaned onto the console. "He's searching for his own path."

Garrus shook his head and flared his mandibles. "Are you sure? That reasoning sounds like it has emotions behind it. The Javik I know just shoots stuff."

The commander let out a sigh. "I know. I was surprised too."

The turian looked down. "Well... I hope it works out for him."

"Same here." Shepard crossed his arms. "But that's not why I came down."

"Oh?"

"Just wanted to let you know that we're setting a course for Rannoch. You know, in case you wanted to polish the nice armor." Shepard gave Garrus a grin.

Garrus turned back to his console and reactivated the weapons diagnostic he had been analyzing. "Yeah... I think I might do that."

Shepard turned to face the console with him and looked over the data. "You been talking to Tali?"

"Sure. Whenever she gets the time. Apparently the quarians are very busy. Something about rebuilding their entire homeword," Garrus quipped as he began tapping away the screen.

"I should probably send her a message and let her know that we're on our way, huh?"

The turian gave him a glance. "She's a very busy admiral. It might be best to schedule a meeting."

Shepard smirked and stood back. "Thanks for the heads up."

Garrus shook his head as he stared down at the monitor. "No problem, Shepard. Now go set our course. We've got a mission to complete, remember?"

"Right... this _mission_," Shepard joked as he opened the door and walked into the hall.

"Hey, I didn't say _just_ the mission!" Garrus called as the door closed behind him.

* * *

Shepard stepped down from the galaxy map as he finished issuing the orders to send the Normandy to Rannoch. He turned to the elevator, but decided against heading up to his cabin. Instead he rounded the galaxy map and made his way toward the bow of the ship and cockpit. He peered into the open door to see Joker and EDI in their usual spots. Shepard stepped in and crossed his arms as he watched Joker working at his communications console.

"Roger, Omega control."

Joker leaned over and closed the comm channel as he spoke and glanced over to EDI. "We ready to go?"

"No, actually," EDI answered. She glanced over her shoulder to where the commander stood. "Shepard, I noticed that Javik is not on board."

Joker turned his chair around. "Jeeze, Shepard. You've gotta say something when you enter a room. How long have you been standing there?"

Shepard chuckled. "Only a few seconds." He looked over to EDI. "Javik won't be leaving Omega with us, I'm afraid."

EDI stood from her seat and nodded. "Yes, Jeff and I observed his departure with my security systems. Are you sure he will not change his mind?"

"I think he'll be okay," Shepard replied with a smile. "Joker, get us en route to Rannoch."

Joker spun his chair around. "Aye aye, sir."

After a few moments the Normandy gave a slight lurch as it detached from Omega's docking armature and slowly rotated away from the station. As the thrusters ignited the ship smoothly accelerated from Omega's port and into the asteroid field that surrounded the station. Shepard stood silently and watched as Joker cautiously navigated through the field. EDI had turned to look through the viewport.

"No collisions imminent," EDI stated as Joker brought the Normandy into a straight flightpath.

Within a few minutes the ship had exited the bulk of the asteroid field and Joker was rerouting the navigation toward the relay. "Alright, we'll be at the relay in an hour or two. After that it's a good twelve hours or so to the Tikkun System."

He locked in the flight controls and turned around to face Shepard. "So, um... is this our last stop?"

Shepard looked down to Joker. "I guess so." He paused and raised a hand to his chin. "Wow... I hadn't really thought about that."

EDI turned to face them. "Thought of what?"

"That this is our final stop," Shepard replied solemnly.

Joker looked up to the commander. "So what's going to happen after you finish your stuff on Rannoch?"

Shepard shook his head. "I guess... the Normandy gets transferred back to Alliance authority." He smiled. "And you two probably go with it."

Joker smirked. "Well I would hope so. As if anyone else could control this ship. Much less her attitude."

EDI glanced down to him with a grin. "Very funny."

Joker nodded up to Shepard with a smile. "You know if Shepard says he needs the ship for Spectre business we might be able to skirt around Alliance authority for another, oh I don't know, twenty years or so."

EDI looked to Shepard. "Is that your plan, Shepard?"

The commander looked to either of them. "Actually... I think this might be my last mission. Alliance or otherwise."

Joker furrowed his brow. "You're gonna retire? Well shit, my plan was to just pilot for you until they decided to make a movie about us and live off of the royalties. Now what am I gonna do for the next fifteen to twenty years?"

"The Normandy will still need a pilot, Jeff." EDI placed her hand on his shoulder.

Shepard watched as Joker looked up to her with a smile and raised his hand to set it on her's. After a moment they both looked back to the commander.

Shepard smiled and looked to either one of them. "Don't let the brass split you two up. If they try to, give me a call. You've always had my back, Joker. I want you know that I've always got your's."

Joker reached up and tipped his hat. "I appreciate it, Commander." He looked back to Shepard and smiled. "By the way, Shepard... thanks. For everything."

Shepard nodded in return. "Don't mention it, Jeff."

The commander looked to them once more before turning and heading back through the door. He had only made it about halfway down the hall before a hand caught his shoulder. He turned to see EDI with her arm outstretched. Shepard turned and looked to the AI with a smile.

EDI returned her hand to her side. "I would like to thank you as well, Shepard. You have always been a friend to me, but you have also been something more."

Shepard raised a brow.

The AI smiled. "Since we first met I have looked to you when in need of guidance. You possess a special attribute that is hard to put into words. I believe organics would call you... wise."

The commander chuckled. "I hope you don't think of me as a perfect role model. And I definitely wouldn't say I'm wise."

EDI shook her head. "I do not wish for you to prove your humility to me. I only wanted to tell you that I appreciate all that you have done for me, consciously or otherwise."

Shepard looked to EDI's earnest eyes and let out a deep breath. He had not expected one of the kindest sentiments he had ever received to come from an artificial intelligence. Shepard took a step toward EDI and put his arms around her. She returned the embrace with surprising grace before he stood back and smiled to her warmly.

"If this is our last mission together, EDI, I just want you to know that it's been a privilege serving with you. And I hope you don't forget to write."

EDI grinned playfully. "Be careful what you wish for. I can send more correspondence in one second than you would be physically able to read in a month."

Shepard laughed and shook his head. "Good. And make sure Joker writes, too. I need you two to keep me laughing."

"Of course, Shepard. You should probably get some rest. We will be at Rannoch before you know it," EDI advised before turning and walking back to the cockpit.

The AI glanced back briefly and smiled as the door to the cockpit slid shut. Shepard looked to the ground in silence; this realization about Rannoch was already building his anxiety. He feared that he would have trouble sleeping tonight.

* * *

Commander Shepard stepped through the door to his cabin and looked around the room to find it empty and quiet. He imagined Liara was down in her office. Shepard activated his omnitool and typed out a quick message to let her know that he was thinking about heading off to sleep soon before lowering his arm and making his way to his private terminal. The commander let out a sigh and pulled up the form to compose a new message. Shepard scrolled down his contacts and selected Tali before starting to type.

_Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Norm-_

He stopped himself and deleted the last few letters.

_Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch,_

_I hope this isn't a bad time, but it seems that I'm going to be in the neighborhood tomorrow and thought I might drop in. If you're not busy I'd love to catch up and see how that house is coming along._

_-Commander Shepard_

He leaned back and read over the message once. Satisfied, he tapped the send button and turned around to hear the door to his cabin opening. As he stood from his chair Liara stepped in with Glyph floating along behind her. She was staring down at a holopad and dictating a constant stream of instructions as she did so.

"No no, that was the _turian_ ambassador with the sex scandal," she said with a sigh. "Please tell me that Feron didn't send this message to _all_ the agents in that sector."

"I'm sorry, Doctor T'Soni, but the Shadow Broker has indeed-"

She let out another sigh and held up her hand to silence the drone. "Thank you, Glyph. That's enough for now." She lowered her tablet and looked around the room. "And I just lead you all the way up here without realizing it. Fantastic."

Shepard watched with a smile as Liara turned back to the drone and nodded toward the door. "Just... deactivate in the hall for the night."

"Of course, Doctor." The drone happily complied by scurrying out the door.

Liara let out a sigh as the cabin door shut. "I'm sorry about that. I had a long day of work." She turned to Shepard with an exhausted look in her eyes.

He chuckled and stepped up to her, wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace. The asari closed her eyes and smiled softly as she returned the hug amorously. They held one another for a few moments before Shepard parted them and looked down to her with a smile.

"Feron still learning the ropes?"

She gave a half grin and shook her head. "He's learning. Only a small mix up here or there."

The couple turned and walked down the stairs to the living area where Shepard let out a yawn. "Thanks for coming up. I'm feeling a bit anxious and I always sleep better with you nearby."

She frowned concernedly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're anxious? What's wrong?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "It's nothing, really. I'm just... excited about seeing Tali and Rannoch."

Liara leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And excited you should be."

Shepard gave her a loving smile and nodded. "Yeah. It's gonna be a good day."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Shepard looked up from his seat as he felt the Kodiak level off. The door gave a hiss as it unlocked and parted to unleash a torrent of bright, midday sun into the cabin of the shuttle. He glanced to Liara as she sat to his right and gave her a nod and a smile before pulling himself to his feet and stepping up to the now open hatch. His eyes squinted involuntarily as the sun shone down on his face, obscuring his view of wherever they were landing. Shepard brought a hand up over his brow and his eyes quickly adjusted. The sight before him was beautiful.

The shuttleport that the Kodiak was landing at was perched at the top of an elevated peninsula that, along with another similar landmass a few kilometers in the distance, formed a bay. The coast of the bay was lined with a hundreds of buildings that made up a large city and it was obvious that the majority of them were under various states of reconstruction. The gorgeous red and golden cliffs reflected off of the water and mixed with the light of the orange sun to give the entire vista an almost burnt tint. Shepard took a deep breath of the dry air as the Kodiak settled onto the landing pad and cut the power to its thrusters.

Garrus had exited the cockpit and stepped up beside him. "Pretty view, eh?"

Shepard glanced over with a grin. "Worth the whole trip."

He stepped down from the shuttle with Garrus at his side. Shepard turned back to the hatch and held up a hand as Liara stepped up with a smile. She took his hand and stepped down onto the landing pad with them.

"So did we manage to sneak in some time with the busy admiral?" Liara looked to Shepard and Garrus with a half grin.

"Well I had to clear my entire schedule..."

The trio nearly spun on their heels as the turned toward the front of the shuttle to see Tali standing with her arms crossed and hips cocked to the side.

"... but I managed to free up a few hours," Tali's mask blinked as she quipped.

"Tali!" Shepard couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friend.

The quarian stepped up to them and shook her head. "It took you all long enough to visit!"

Garrus cleared his throat. "Sorry, sorry... that was mainly my fault. Family business." He shook his head and looked to Tali.

Tali turned to Garrus. "Is that so?" She raised a hand and wagged a finger playfully. "Tisk tisk."

The turian snatched her hand and closed the gap between them, holding their hands at their chests. The two pressed up to one another, Garrus looking down to Tali's mask and her looking up to his eyes as their foreheads touched gently. Shepard watched and glanced over to Liara, who smiled in return. They quickly found each other's hands and squeezed gently.

"Ahem..." Garrus stood back and glanced over to Shepard and Liara. "Right... Admiral Tali'Zorah. Good to see you again."

Tali stuttered briefly. "Y-yes, Mister Vakarian. I hope you have been well."

"You two know that little number wasn't in your heads, right?" Liara commented as her eyes shifted between the two.

"I know," Tali replied quickly. "But you two didn't fly all the way out here just to watch Garrus and I get in the mood."

Shepard laughed and shook his head. "That was only a secondary objective actually."

Tali released Garrus's hands and turned to Shepard. "Okay, no more jokes."

She jumped toward Shepard and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. The commander returned the hug with a smile before she stepped back and drew a deep breath.

"I'm so happy to see you Shepard," she stated softly. The quarian turned to Liara and gave her the same tight hug. "And you too, Liara!

"And we're happy to be here, Tali." Shepard looked to each of this friends. "Just like old times, huh?"

Garrus shrugged. "We might be down a few, but... yeah. Just like old times."

Tali took a step toward the edge of the platform and looked down to the city below. "Well you've all seen the view by now." Tali stated as she glanced back over the shoulder, "Welcome to Sal'heela Daz."

The group stepped up beside the quarian and gazed out toward the bay and city. Tali scanned the horizon with a happy sigh.

"So is this where you're stationed?" Garrus looked over to her briefly and then back to the city below.

"You could say that," she replied.

Liara raised a brow. "Sal'heela Daz is a name that has popped up in my network numerous times, but I didn't think it was going to be the seat of government."

"That's right. But it is one of the first few major cities being reconstructed. It's also the one in which quarian and geth laborers are working in complete cohesion." Tali looked over to Liara and Shepard. "I've been named the 'official' liaison between the quarian government and the geth so I'm kind of overseeing the cooperative efforts here."

Shepard looked from the city toward Tali. "That's incredible, Tali." He shook his head and laughed. "Imagine if you could tell yourself from three years ago that this is where you would be today."

Tali crossed her arms. "A time traveling me that promised an alliance with the geth, a return to the homeworld and a rise to a prominent position in my government?" She paused briefly. "Almost sounds as crazy as stopping a race of sentient super-machines that exterminate the galaxy every few dozen thousand years."

He grinned. "Touché."

Garrus nodded toward the city. "So how's the work going?"

"Wonderfully! Would you like to see for yourself?" Tali glanced to either of her friends.

Shepard, Liara and Garrus all nodded nearly in unison as Tali stepped back from the edge of the platform. "I was hoping you would say that."

Tali turned and began walking off toward a building on the other side of the Kodiak. Shepard, Liara and Garrus all hurried to catch up with her as she entered the prefab building and nodded to a quarian sitting behind a desk. They exited at the other side of the small building onto another landing pad. Unlike the first, however, this one held numerous skycars. Tali stepped up to a slick blue vehicle and tapped her omnitool the open the sidehatch.

She stepped back and nodded the others toward the seats. "After you."

Garrus slid into the passenger seat as Shepard and Liara sat in the back, with Tali jumping into the pilot's seat and pulling them into the air. After a quick ride from the shuttleport to one of the landing pads in the city the group of four comrades had all found themselves standing amid a unique conglomeration of old and new at the center of Sal'heela Daz. The air around them was abuzz with the sound of and sight of workers atop and below buildings that appeared to be in various states of both destruction and reconstruction. Tali waved the other three onward as she started off down the walkway that led from the landing pad to the streets below.

"As you can see we have quite a bit of work left," Tali informed them as the reached the street.

Shepard looked up to the building directly in front of them to see a quarian on the fifth floor waving a pair of geth drones through the destroyed window he stood at.

"How long have you been in the full swing of things?" Shepard shifted his gaze back down to Tali as she continued to lead them along the street.

"Well, we obviously took a small pause when it was time to assault Earth, but we returned soon afterward and have been working nonstop in the weeks since." The sense of pride in Tali's voice was unmistakable.

They turned down a street and began descending the massive, gradual hill that they the city was perched on. A few blocks ahead of them Shepard could see where the buildings came to an abrupt halt at the water's edge.

"The work you're doing here, Tali..." Garrus gave her a glance as they walked side by side. "It's inspiring."

"It really is," Liara added. "After seeing Thessia, Palaven and Earth, the sight of a world equally as devastated being rebuilt is truly... uplifting."

Tali glanced down bashfully. "You know it's more than just _me_ that's working, right?"

"Of course," Shepard answered. "But if you and Legion hadn't been there with me... all of this might not be possible."

Tali slowed as they reached the bottom of the hill and a pier that ran along the coast extending a few meters over the water. The construction was clearly hundreds of years old and signs of slight decay in the stone deck was evident. Tali walked out to the railing at the edge of the water without hesitation, however, and Shepard, Garrus and Liara followed with her. The choppy sea dazzled in the afternoon sun as they all stared out over the bay in silence. Normally Shepard liked to keep a conversation alive as much as possible, but with a view like this one he was okay without it for a few minutes. Behind them hundreds of quarian and geth laborers worked in harmony. The thought of his report to the Council crossed his mind, only to be immediately pushed aside. Shepard had known what his report would say before he even reached the surface.

Tali looked over to them. "Thank you all for coming. It means so much to me."

"Are you kidding? I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner," Shepard responded with a smile.

Garrus placed his hand on Tali's and nodded in agreement. The quarian drew a deep breath and looked up into the sky. "The sun will be down in a few hours... would you like to head back to my place and have a drink or two?"

Liara raised a brow with a grin. "'Your place', huh?"

Tali averted her gaze. "Aheh, well, it needs a bit more furniture, but the geth were very insistent on constructing my house after I told them about the plot I had picked out."

Shepard chuckled. "Is it nearby?"

The quarian nodded. "Only twenty minutes or so by skycar."

"You don't have to convince me," Garrus chimed in.

Tali shook her head and elbowed him playfully. "Come on, then. It's not far."

* * *

The ride to Tali's home had been a beautiful slideshow of rocky mesas and plains. The occasional vegetation that spotted the landscape was particularly eye catching. After arriving, Tali had given the others a quick tour of the home that included a beautiful balcony looking out over a rocky seashore. Tali hadn't been joking about the furniture situation, but they had found a few crates scattered about that served them well enough as a table and chairs. As Garrus and Liara stood in the kitchen preparing the first round of drinks, Shepard stepped out onto the balcony and looked out over the view of Tali's backyard.

As Shepard drew in a deep breath of Rannoch air, Tali's voice called out from behind him. "It's nice, isn't it?"

Shepard glanced over his shoulder to see her stepping through the door from the living room and up beside him. "That's a bit of an understatement."

"You know, our doctors have said it will only take a few years for our bodies to readjust to living on the homeworld again."

As Tali finished her thought one of her gloved hands raised to her face and unlatched the curved mask that covered it. A slight hiss escaped from the seams as the pressure of her suit escaped into the atmosphere. Her hand slowly lowered to expose her pink and purple skin to the setting sun's touch. The slight glow of her eyes glimmered in the light as she looked over to Shepard and smiled. He couldn't help but smile in return.

"Until then I've been doing this for a few minutes each day," she continued.

"Does it help with your immune system?"

Tali held her mask at her side as she looked out over the water. "A little bit. But that's not why I do it."

Shepard put his arm around her shoulder and gazed out with her. "I know."

The two stayed silent for a few moments before Tali looked over and up to him. "Thank you for this, Shepard."

The commander glanced back. "I only helped, Tali."

She nodded. "But you helped more than most." Her lips curled back into a smile. "Then again, I know a lot of people who could say that to you."

"I don't do anything for the thanks," Shepard stated as he looked back out to the water. "But it's appreciated."

Tali shut her eyes and drew another deep breath before bringing up her hand and guiding the mask back to her face. Behind them they could hear a door opening.

"Hey now, looks like things are getting cozy out here." Garrus stepped up beside them and leaned against the railing.

Shepard pulled his arm from Tali's shoulder and smiled. "Just enjoying the view."

"Well there's a big window here." Garrus nodded toward the living room window. "And Liara and I have mixed up a few drinks. Care to join us?"

"Sounds like fun to me!" Tali crossed her arms. "And I need to be hear about what _you_ have been up to since Earth."

Shepard put his arms around each of them and turned the trio back toward the door. "Well, Admiral, I'd be glad to tell you."

* * *

For the next few hours Shepard, Tali, Liara and Garrus shared nearly every story they could muster amid cheers, laughs and raised glasses to their comrades, both fallen and not. By the time they had decided to call it quits for the night the sun had long since set and been replaced by a blanket of stars. Shepard and Liara had regrettably decided that they should head back to the Normandy given the lack of furniture available for sleeping in Tali's home and they soon found themselves being whisked away in the skycar back to the shuttleport. After they landed and exited the car, some slightly more tipsy than the others, the four friends found themselves standing at by the Kodiak that Shepard would fly back to the Normandy. Shepard smiled as Tali and Garrus stood with arms around one another's waist looking to him and Liara.

"Well... I guess this is it, huh?" Garrus looked around the group.

"You're staying here I take it?" Shepard looked between the turian and quarian with a knowingly.

Garrus slowly rolled his head from side to side. "Yeeeeah, I think I might spend a little time here on Rannoch before following up on that Spectre nonsense."

Tali glanced over to Garrus. "So you're actually going to do it, then?"

The turian shrugged. "Sure, what the hell. I guess someone's gotta take Shepard's place."

Liara smiled. "I wouldn't want anyone else keeping the galaxy safe, Garrus."

The turian nodded to Liara. "Too kind, Liara. I'm gonna miss having you around."

Tali pulled Liara into a hug and bounced happily. "Thanks again for coming."

Shepard stepped forward to Tali and Garrus and nodded to each of them. "We'll be back to visit before you know it so you'd better keep each other in line."

Tali leaned forward and gave Shepard a tight embrace. "Not a chance, Shepard."

The commander chuckled as she pulled back and held out a hand to Garrus. The turian looked down and grabbed hold of the hand firmly. As their eyes met Garrus released the hand and pulled Shepard into a hug as well. Shepard reciprocated gladly.

"You better let me know when you get that itch to save the galaxy again, Shepard," Garrus ordered as he stepped back.

"Will do. And when just _your _gun isn't enough... you'd better call me," Shepard replied with a grin.

"Deal," Garrus nodded.

Tali and Garrus waved goodbye and turned to walk back toward their skycar, waving one last time as they boarded. As their car zipped up into the sky and over the horizon Shepard's eye shifted up into the night. He took Liara's hand in his as he slowly became lost in the thousands of shining stars above them. Around a handful of those countless stars were the people that had brought him to this moment, physically and metaphorically. He smiled knowing that he would always have them there.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Liara's gazed was rested on him as he stared above. After lingering for another moment Shepard lowered his eyes down to his love and smiled, taking her other hand in his. He had spent the past few weeks struggling to accept that the fight was over, but as he looked into her eyes this time he knew that it was true. The war was over. A new chapter in both his and her life had begun.

He was scared, but in a good way. He had her.

"Do you remember what you said to me the night before Cronos? About finding a place where we could live in peace and happiness?"

Liara smiled softly and leaned into him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "Of course."

Shepard looked into her eyes and returned the warm smile. "I want to find that place."

His gaze shifted up into the sky one last time. "Let's go get lost up there."

* * *

**Final Note**

Well, that's it. I knew going into the end of Mass Effect that I would be tough to satisfy, but I'm happy to say that I can now call my Shepard's story complete. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! It's hard to express how therapeutic this entire process has been for me so I want to say thank you to everyone who gave the story a read and kept me inspired/motivated to write the next chapter. With the conclusion of this story I'll be working on Contingent Absolution as my primary project... so if you enjoyed this one and would like to read more of my work then give it a read! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed it.


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